Catholic Church England and Wales / Flickr
Pope Leo XIV has restored a long-standing Vatican tradition by awarding a 500-euro bonus to each Vatican employee for their service during the sede vacante — the period between papacies.
The decision brings back the so-called “conclave bonus,” a custom Pope Francis had suspended in 2013 in favor of directing funds to charitable efforts, according to a Rome Reports article.
While Pope Francis had redirected the bonus funds entirely to the poor after his election, Pope Leo maintained the charitable aspect by also making a donation to the needy, this time in the form of food distributed by the Vatican’s charitable office.
Although Pope Leo did not mention the bonus during his recent address to Vatican employees, he spoke about the value of their daily contributions.
“Working in the Roman Curia means helping to keep the memory of the Apostolic See alive — in the vital sense I just mentioned — so that the ministry of the Pope can be carried out in the best possible way,” he said. “And, by analogy, this also applies to the services of the Vatican City State.”
Approximately 5,000 people are employed across the Vatican, according to Rome Reports. This includes roughly 2,000 working in the Roman Curia and about 3,000 more serving in various institutions such as the Vatican’s museums, apostolic library, and pharmacy.
