Pope Leo XIV Repeals Salary Cuts for Vatican Employees on His 71st Birthday

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV celebrated his 71st birthday on Monday, and on this occasion, the Vatican announced a decree repealing salary cuts that had been imposed on many Vatican employees in 2021 as part of COVID-19 cost-saving measures. In the decree, Leo stated that the salary cuts '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 salary cuts had included a 10% reduction for cardinals and smaller percentage cuts for office heads and lower-ranking priests and nuns. Biennial pay raises were also frozen for senior lay employees, while lower-ranking lay employees continued to receive raises. Pope Francis had implemented these cuts, citing the need to save jobs amid a structural deficit estimated at around 70 million euros and a 1 billion euro ($1.14 billion) pension fund shortfall. The pandemic had resulted in the closure of the Vatican Museums for months, impacting revenue. Leo, who has a background in mathematics and finance, has been revising some of Francis' financial decisions since his election. Additionally, Leo canceled Francis' plans to relocate some of the Vatican's archives and library holdings, stating that 'unprecedented opportunities have arisen to create new spaces' within Vatican City. He ordered the construction of a new building to house the material, which includes ancient manuscripts and archival collections. On his birthday, Leo visited the Vatican Apostolic Library and expressed his connection to the staff, noting that his mother was a librarian. He inaugurated an exhibition about water, the first in a five-year cycle entitled 'Catastrophe and Marvel.' The exhibition features a large design of a wave by French artist JR, attached to the library's facade.