What salary will Pope Leon XIV have

Pope Leon XIV, born Robert Prevost, could follow in the footsteps of Jorge Mario Bergoglio and give up the salary reserved for the pontiff, writes IL Messaggero on Sunday.

The supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church, in fact, does not receive a salary in the traditional sense of the term, explains the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero, quoted by Rador Radio Romania.

The Vatican, the smallest independent state in the world, provides all the pope's material needs: housing, food, travel, medical assistance, security and any other needs. In theory, the Pontiff would be entitled to a monthly salary of about 2,500 euros, but personal formalities and will can change things.

Pope Francis, in office between 2013 and 2025, made a clear and symbolic choice: he rejected any form of personal income. A decision in accordance with his sober lifestyle and his inspiration from Saint Francis of Assisi, the Holy Evangelical Poverty.

“Pope Francis has actively given up on receiving a salary,” the Vatican official sources say.

Even the accommodation chosen by Bergoglio was indicative: not the apostolic palace, the traditional papal residence, but Domus Sanctae Marthae, a simpler structure that receives cardinals and prelates near the basilica “Saint Peter”.

But, and if he does not receive any salary, the Pope is definitely not devoid of subsistence. The value of the life of the Pontifical Sovereign, understood as access to goods, services and support of the Vatican, is estimated at about 14 million euros. Not a personal fortune, but a heritage that can be fully enjoyed.

Now, it remains to be seen if Pope Leon XIV will choose the same way as Bergoglio: to give up his salary in the name of sobriety or to maintain, at least symbolic, to receive a monthly salary. The answer to this question could say a lot about the tone and style of the newly pontified, concludes Il Messaggero.