Pope Leo XIV celebrated his 71st birthday on Monday, and on this day, Vatican employees received a gift. The Vatican issued a papal decree stating that the pay cuts imposed by Pope Francis in 2021 on many Vatican employees as part of cost-saving measures due to COVID-19 have been revoked.
Cancellation of Employee Pay Cuts
In this decree, Leo announced that the measures related to pay cuts "can now be lifted, ensuring that the institutions of the Catholic Church and the government of the Vatican City will continue their commitment to ensuring economic sustainability." These unpopular cuts included a 10 percent salary reduction for cardinals and smaller percentage cuts for office managers and lower-ranking priests and nuns. The biennial salary increases for senior lay employees had been halted, although lower-ranking lay employees continued to receive salary increases.
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Pope Francis had argued at the time that these cuts were necessary to save jobs, as the Church was also facing a structural deficit that was estimated to be around 70 million euros, along with a pension fund deficit of 1 billion euros ($1.14 billion). The COVID-19 pandemic kept the Vatican museums closed for several months, depriving the Church of one of its main sources of income. The Vatican treasury was also affected by investment and currency fluctuations.
Financial Changes and New Plans
Leo, who holds a degree in mathematics and has a background as the general superior of the Augustinians, is known for his skills in financial matters and balance sheet analysis. His brother, John Prevost, recently told an Italian television network that the Pope had recently helped him with a question he had about his taxes.
After his election, Leo stated that the financial situation of the Vatican was not as bad as he had thought, and Pope Francis had made some important reforms. However, Leo has spent much of his early papal term reforming or revoking some of Francis's financial decisions.
In another decree issued on Monday, Leo canceled Francis's plans to transfer some of the Vatican's secret archives and library assets outside the Vatican City to the grounds of a papal university across the city. Francis had decided on this transfer because the materials were outgrowing their current storage space, which includes a large underground shelter.
Leo stated, "Unprecedented opportunities have arisen to create new spaces within the Vatican City." He ordered the construction of a new building in a current parking lot to house archival materials, which include ancient manuscripts and complete archival collections from past popes, religious groups, and benefactors.
On Monday, Leo visited the Vatican Apostolic Library and expressed that he finds celebrating his birthday with the staff there particularly interesting, as his mother was a librarian. He told the staff, "I want to say that God, in His wisdom — and sometimes with a bit of humor — always reminds us that He is with us."
The library and archives are open for study by researchers and scholars. A small exhibition space is also open weekly to the public in the library, with reservations and pre-purchased tickets. On Monday, Leo inaugurated an exhibition about water in this library, which is the first part of a five-year cycle titled "Disaster and Wonder." This exhibition features a large design of a wave attached to the library's facade with scaffolding, created by French artist JR.
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Source: abcnews.com
