Pope Leo XIV repeals Vatican salary cuts imposed during pandemic

Pope Leo XIV has officially repealed salary cuts imposed on cardinals and senior Vatican officials by his predecessor, Pope Francis, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision, contained in a papal decree published on September 14, 2026, marks a significant shift in the Holy See's financial policy. The decree, dated September 1 but made public on the pope's 71st birthday, states that the austerity measures can now be overcome. It expresses certainty that Vatican institutions will continue their commitment to economic sustainability through other means. The salary restoration takes effect from September 1, 2026, and is not retroactive. The original cuts, introduced in 2021, reduced cardinals' monthly stipends by 10% and senior officials' pay by 8%. Pope Francis had linked the measures to a structural deficit and the financial shock of the pandemic, which forced the closure of the Vatican Museums for months. Clergy and religious employees saw their salaries reduced by 3%. In a separate decree, Leo also cancelled Francis's plan to move Vatican archives and library holdings to a pontifical university across Rome.