Pope Leo XIV has restored the salaries of cardinals and senior Vatican officials to pre-Covid levels, reversing pay cuts introduced by his predecessor, Pope Francis, during the pandemic.
The decision was contained in a decree issued Monday, the pope’s 71st birthday, and took effect from September 1, 2026.
Pope Francis cut cardinals’ salaries by 10 per cent and those of senior Vatican officials by eight per cent in 2021 as the Holy See faced financial pressures caused by the Covid-19 crisis and persistent budget deficits.
Leo said the cuts had been “necessary to face the exceptional challenge of the pandemic” but could now be lifted. He added that Vatican institutions would continue efforts to maintain their “economic sustainability.”
The decree stated that the salary restoration would not be applied retroactively.
A cardinal serving in the Roman Curia, the Catholic Church’s central administration, is estimated to earn between €4,500 and €5,000 ($5,200-$5,800) per month.
The move comes as the Holy See’s finances show signs of improvement. In its annual report published in May, the Vatican bank reported a net profit of €51 million.
In a separate decree issued Monday, Leo also cancelled a plan by Pope Francis to relocate some Vatican archives outside the city-state.
Instead, the Vatican will construct a new building to house the archives.
