Conclave bonuses have returned for Vatican staff with Pope Leo XIV granting each worker 500 euros for their service during the sede vacante.
Pope Francis suspended that bonus in 2013 and redirected the funds to a charitable cause for the poor. In Pope Leo XIV’s case, he also made a donation to the needy, but in the form of food. The department in charge of charitable works handled the distribution.
In any case, Pope Leo XIV has already linked his name to labor and workers’ rights, following in the footsteps of Pope Leo XIII and his encyclical on the condition of workers.
Following those lines, the new Pope met with all Vatican employees, and while he did not mention the bonus, he did speak on the importance of their work.
POPE LEO XI
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. And, by analogy, this also applies to the services of the Vatican City State.
Around 5,000 people work at the Vatican. Roughly 2,000 are employed in the Curia, and another 3,000 work under the government, which includes all museum, library, and pharmacy staff.
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