Covid-19: Pope repeals wage cuts applied in Vatican pandemic

Na document released today by the Vatican, Leo XIV considers the measures adopted by his predecessor, Francisco, in March 2021 to respond to the “exceptional challenge of the pandemic”.

The Pope expresses “the certainty that the institutions of the Holy See and the Vatican City State will continue, through various instruments, in their commitment to ensuring economic sustainability”.

In 2021 Francis determined a 10% reduction in the salaries of cardinals, 8% in the salaries of heads and secretaries of dicasteries, and 3% in the salaries of clergy and religious.

Salary increases by service time for all employees from level four of the hierarchical scale were also suspended until 2023.

The measures were then justified by the “deficit that for several years marks the economic management of the Holy See” and, above all, by the consequences of the pandemic, which “has adversely affected all sources of revenue of the Holy See and the Vatican City State”.

The decision of Leo XIV arises in a context of improving Vatican accounts.

According to the latest figures released for 2024, the Holy See recorded a surplus of EUR 1.6 million, after a deficit of EUR 51.2 million in 2023, a development mainly explained by increased donations and better financial results.

The structural deficit, which excludes financial results, also declined by almost 50%, from EUR 83.5 million in 2023 to EUR 44.4 million in 2024.

The Vatican Secretariat of Economics considered that the results show a positive trend in the accounts of the Holy See, although it warned that “full financial sustainability is a long-term objective”, as a significant part of the improvement resulted from increased donations.