Pope Leo XIV repeals 2021 salary cuts for cardinals and senior Vatican officials

Repeal of austerity decree

Pope Leo XIV has issued a papal decree repealing the salary cuts imposed on senior Holy See officials during the COVID-19 pandemic. The motu proprio, published on Monday to coincide with the pontiff's 71st birthday, took effect on 1 September 2026. The decree formally revokes the apostolic letter "A Sustainable Future" promulgated by Pope Francis on 23 March 2021, which lowered remuneration across administrative tiers to counter chronic operating deficits. Leo noted in the document that the salary containment measures were necessary during the pandemic but can now be lifted as Holy See institutions maintain financial sustainability through other mechanisms.

“Those measures can now be set aside, 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.”

Scope of wage adjustments

The 2021 austerity plan introduced tiered pay reductions to protect lay employees and prevent job cuts amid severe pandemic disruptions. The policy reduced the salaries of cardinals by 10% and lowered pay for dicastery heads and secretaries by 8%. An initial 3% reduction for priests and religious staff had already been repealed on 16 June 2025 through a papal rescript. Francis also suspended the secretariat bonus and office allowance for senior personnel, alongside a freeze on biennial seniority raises for all staff except the lowest earners. Under the new decree, past salary reductions remain final, and money withheld between 2021 and August 2026 will not be reimbursed retroactively.

Cardinals10%

Dicastery heads and secretaries8%

Priests and religious3%

Cardinals

10 %

Dicastery heads and secretaries

8 %

Priests and religious

3 %

Data from the article text

Vatican pay scale and economic recovery

Cardinals assigned to the Roman Curia receive estimated monthly salaries between 4,500 and 5,000 euros, along with Vatican-provided housing. Members of the 240-strong Sacred College also qualify for a monthly supplement of approximately 1,500 euros known as the piatto cardinalizio. Leo enacted the salary restoration after consulting the Secretariat for the Economy, headed by Maximino Caballero. The financial turnaround follows a recovery in tourist receipts at the Vatican Museums, contributions from the Jubilee year, and stronger overall revenues. In May 2026, the Vatican Bank reported an annual net profit of 51 million euros. The decision affects senior leaders among the Vatican's 4,900 employees, whose general wage scales have remained frozen since 2008.

Additional administrative decisions

Alongside the salary decree, Leo altered administrative plans concerning Holy See infrastructure. The pontiff canceled a project approved by Francis to relocate bulky portions of the Vatican Library archives outside the sovereign city-state, ordering instead the construction of a new storage building within Vatican walls. The pope maintained a regular schedule on his birthday, visiting the Vatican Apostolic Library to inaugurate the "AQVA. Catástrofe y maravilla" exhibition. During the visit, Leo recalled that his mother worked as a librarian and urged physical engagement with the collections alongside digital access.