One of the most contentious administrative decisions of the previous pontificate is set to be formally undone. Pope Leo XIV is preparing to restore free or subsidised Vatican housing for cardinals and senior curial officials, reversing a policy introduced under Pope Francis that had quietly reshaped life inside the Roman Curia.
The change, first reported by Vatican correspondent Nico Spuntoni, will repeal a rescript issued on 13 February 2023. That measure stripped long-standing housing privileges from cardinals and senior officials living in Vatican-owned property, requiring many to pay rent for the first time or absorb sharp increases. A new decree, expected to come into force imminently, will restore the previous system for those in active service.
According to sources cited by Spuntoni, the reversal is intended to ease the practical strain placed on cardinals living on fixed stipends and to stabilise curial life after what many described as a period of uncertainty. For decades, Vatican accommodation had been treated less as a perk than as a functional necessity for senior clergy serving in Rome.
The move is one of the clearest early signals of how Leo XIV intends to govern internally. While framed as an administrative correction, it also carries unmistakable political weight inside the Vatican.
Housing, hierarchy, and pressure
The 2023 rescript was officially justified as part of broader financial reform. Cardinals resident in Rome typically receive a monthly stipend of around $4,500, a modest sum in a city with among Europe’s highest living costs. For elderly prelates without private means, the sudden imposition of market rents made continued residence in Rome difficult and, in some cases, untenable.
Beyond the financial impact, the policy quickly became controversial because of how it was applied. Spuntoni has noted that exemptions could be granted directly by the Pope, creating disparities between officials appointed before and after March 2023. Some newly installed prefects were required to pay full rent, while others continued to live rent-free with papal authorisation.
“This rescript was very unpopular in the Vatican,” Spuntoni told the Catholic Herald. “Not only because of the denial of the concession itself, but because of the exceptions. The result was a system that felt arbitrary.”
Over time, many cardinals came to see the policy less as neutral reform and more as a tool of internal discipline.
The Burke case and its aftermath
The most prominent example came in December 2023, when Cardinal Raymond Burke was informed that he would either have to pay market rent for his Vatican apartment or vacate it within two months. The letter arrived days after reports that Pope Francis had discussed disciplinary measures against Burke with dicastery heads, citing concerns about disunity.
Italian media portrayed the decision as punitive, with some outlets quoting sources who claimed Francis viewed Burke as an “enemy.” Others, including papal biographer Austen Ivereigh, relayed Francis’s insistence that the matter concerned the misuse of privileges rather than personal hostility. What was not disputed was that Burke appeared to be the first cardinal publicly known to feel the full force of the new housing policy.
By that point, the broader message was clear. Access to Vatican apartments and stipends had become intertwined with questions of loyalty, unity, and internal alignment. What had long been assumed as a practical baseline for curial service was now conditional.
A quieter reset under Leo XIV
Leo XIV’s decision to reverse the policy removes Vatican housing from that equation. While no official theological rationale has been offered, the practical effect is significant. Accommodation will no longer function as a lever of pressure, and cardinals serving the Church in Rome will not face material insecurity tied to internal disputes.
The timing is notable. As the housing decision is finalised, preparations continue for the Pope’s own move into the Apostolic Palace. Work is ongoing on the papal apartments, with the transfer now expected next month after a short delay. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni confirmed that Leo XIV intends to use the traditional papal spaces, including rooms above the Third Loggia once used by papal secretaries.
Since his election, the Pope has lived in an apartment within the Palace of the Holy Office, above the offices of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. Before that, he resided for nearly two years in a private apartment on Via di Porta Angelica. That apartment is now occupied by members of an Italian film family, who reportedly discovered its former occupant only after finding receipts made out in the Pope’s name.
Financial questions remain
The reversal inevitably raises questions about Vatican finances. If the 2023 rescript was meant to ease budgetary pressure, rescinding rents does not eliminate the underlying problem. The costs must be absorbed elsewhere, whether through renewed fundraising, asset restructuring, or further economic reform.
Still, among cardinals who have spoken privately, the response has been broadly positive. One described the move simply as “bringing practicality back.”
Leo XIV has not framed the decision as a repudiation of his predecessor. But it does mark a clear change in emphasis. Where the previous approach relied heavily on symbolic gestures and internal pressure, the new Pope appears to be signalling a preference for stability and predictability.
In Vatican terms, that is no small shift. And for a Curia still adjusting to life after Francis, it may prove one of the most consequential early decisions of the new pontificate.