Pope Leo XIV marked his 71st birthday on Monday by rescinding salary cuts that had been imposed on many Vatican employees by his predecessor, Pope Francis, as part of cost-saving measures enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The decree states that the salary reductions "can now be overcome, in the certainty that the institutions of the Holy See and the Vatican City State will continue, through various means, their commitment to ensuring economic sustainability."
The previously implemented cuts included a 10% reduction for cardinals and smaller percentage cuts for office heads, priests, and nuns. Senior lay employees saw their biennial pay raises frozen, while lower-ranking lay employees continued to receive raises.
At the time of their implementation in 2021, Pope Francis had cited the need to save jobs amid the Holy See's structural deficit, estimated at 70 million euros, and a 1 billion euro pension fund shortfall. The pandemic had significantly impacted Vatican revenues due to the prolonged closure of the Vatican Museums and fluctuations in investments and currency.
Pope Leo XIV, known for his financial acumen, has in his early pontificate reversed or amended several of Pope Francis' financial decisions. He has previously stated that the Vatican's financial situation was not as dire as initially presented.
In a separate decree also published Monday, Leo XIV canceled plans initiated by Francis to relocate portions of the Vatican's secret archives and library holdings to a pontifical university outside Vatican City. Francis had proposed the move due to space constraints in the current storage facilities, which include an underground bunker. Pope Leo XIV ordered the construction of a new building within Vatican City to house these materials.
On Monday, Pope Leo XIV visited the Vatican Apostolic Library, noting the significance of celebrating his birthday with its staff, as his mother had been a librarian. He inaugurated an exhibition at the library titled “Catastrophe and Marvel,” featuring a large-scale wave installation by artist JR on the building's facade.