Vatican City, Sep 15:
Pope Leo XIV celebrated his 71st birthday on Monday, but Vatican employees received what turned out to be the most significant gift, with the Pope repealing salary cuts imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Vatican published a papal decree cancelling salary reductions introduced in 2021 under Pope Francis as part of measures aimed at dealing with the Holy See’s financial difficulties during the pandemic. Leo said the measures could now be overcome with confidence in the financial sustainability of the Vatican institutions.
The cuts had included a 10% reduction in the salaries of cardinals, along with smaller reductions affecting office heads and lower-ranking priests and nuns. The move is among several financial decisions taken by Leo since becoming Pope that have modified or reversed policies introduced by his predecessor.
Leo also cancelled plans to move some of the Vatican’s secret archives and library holdings outside Vatican City. Instead, he ordered the construction of a new building on a current parking lot to house the material, including ancient manuscripts and archival collections.
The Pope visited the Vatican Apostolic Library on his birthday, a particularly fitting venue given that his mother was a librarian. He also inaugurated an exhibition on water, titled “AQVA, Catastrophe and Wonder”, which forms part of a new five-year cycle at the library.