Pope Leo XIV will reportedly make the Apostolic Palace his official home, restoring papal tradition after more than ten years. The move heralds an end to the austerity adopted by the late Pope Francis, who shunned the luxury of the palace for the comfort of the humble Vatican Santa Marta hotel.
As per senior Vatican officials who were interviewed by Reuters, Leo XIV will settle into the Apostolic Palace after his first Mass this Sunday. The palace, the 16th-century architectural icon atop St. Peter’s Square, contains the papal apartments on its upper floor. The apartment consists of around 10 rooms, including a private chapel, bedroom, study, and dining room.
Renovation activities are currently being undertaken to get the residence ready, such as updating bathrooms and treating wall dampness, according to Italian media. The officials said the move would also make security arrangements easier, as the palace provides more regulated access than the hotel building Pope Francis preferred.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni refused to confirm the move in public. Pope Leo XIV, who was previously Cardinal Robert Prevost, was elected on May 8th and is the first American to ever hold the papacy. He is staying temporarily in his old apartment inside the Vatican’s doctrinal office complex off St. Peter’s.
Pope Francis, who died on April 21 after serving as pontiff for 12 years, famously broke with tradition by refusing the palace’s opulent facilities in favor of communal living at the Santa Marta guesthouse. Although he conducted official meetings and gave weekly Sunday prayers from the palace, he never stopped saying that a less-fancy dwelling was more conducive to his mental well-being.
The Apostolic Palace has not been occupied since February 2013, the time when Pope Benedict XVI resigned and vacated the dwelling. With the relocation of Pope Leo XIV, the palace will again serve as a dynamic symbol of papal influence.
