"They'll be paid more": Pope Leo XIV has reversed the pay cuts in the Vatican that were implemented during the pandemic

Pope Leo XIV officially announced the repeal of the austerity measures adopted by the Vatican during the COVID-19 pandemic. Effective September 1, 2026, the Motu Proprio “A Sustainable Future,” which regulated pay cuts for Holy See employees, will no longer be in effect.

The decision to cut salaries, adopted by Pope Francis in March 2021, was a necessary measure aimed at addressing the budget deficit caused by the global crisis. The cuts affected cardinals, heads of dicasteries of the Roman Curia, and other high-ranking officials: payments to cardinals were reduced by 10%, and those to senior officials by 8%. In addition, the payment of seniority bonuses was temporarily suspended.

Pope Leo XIV emphasized that these measures played an important role in protecting the jobs of rank-and-file employees and families with children during a difficult period. Now that the economic situation has stabilized, the pontiff deemed it possible to lift these restrictions, expressing confidence that the principles of financial stability would continue to be upheld through other management mechanisms.

It is important to note that this decision involves the lifting of restrictions going forward: all salary changes made during the decree’s validity period—including the suspension of seniority-based pay increases—remain in effect and are not subject to recalculation.