Leo XIV greets Vatican employees with humility, warmth—and a €500 bonus

Pope Leo XIV met with about 5,000 Vatican employees this week, thanking them for their dedicated service during the papal transition, recognizing their crucial role as the Vatican’s “institutional memory,” and surprising them with a €500 bonus. “Popes come and go; the Curia remains,” he said, expressing his appreciation for those who keep the Vatican running smoothly behind the scenes.

In this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” hosts Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell unpack the pope’s message to the Vatican workforce—what it reveals about his leadership style, the inner workings of the Curia and efforts to boost staff morale.

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They also recap Pope Leo’s packed Sunday as he takes root as bishop of Rome, assuming leadership of the local church and embracing his civic responsibilities in the Eternal City:

• His formal installation at St. John Lateran, the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome
• An address to diocesan clergy, speaking as both bishop and fellow Christian
• A stop at Santa Maria Maggiore, where he prayed again at Pope Francis’s tomb and before the Salus Populi Romani icon
• A meeting with the mayor of Rome, highlighting his dual role as civic and spiritual leader

Also in this episode: Pope Leo renews his call for an immediate ceasefire and the release of humanitarian aid in Gaza; the Vatican’s mediation efforts in the Russia-Ukraine war face ongoing resistance; and the Vatican quietly launches its newly redesigned website.

Links from the show: 

• Pope Leo to Roman Curia: ‘Popes come and go, the Curia remains’
• Speaking to the people of Rome, Pope Leo pledges ‘the little I have and am’
• What the role of bishop means to Pope Leo (and to St. Augustine)
• Cardinal Parolin: Pope Leo wants peace between Russia and Ukraine, not a role in negotiations