The Pope's Salary: How Does The Pontiff Get Paid?

The leader of nan Roman Catholic Church does not get paid what galore see a accepted salary. Instead, nan Vatican provides for nan pontiff's needs, from housing, food, proscription and different expenses successful nan shape of stipends and allowances.

The Vatican, referred to arsenic "the world's smallest country," is sustained by "an system that relies connected a operation of donations, backstage enterprises, and investments to make revenue," according to Investopedia.  

Pope Francis declined immoderate benignant of net erstwhile he took agency successful 2013, The Economic Times reported backmost successful February, adding that nan pontiff astatine nan clip had a nett worthy of "around $16 million, which includes various assets provided to him arsenic nan pope."

The Vatican's financial business has been successful peril for years, pinch its yearly operating shortage increasing to complete $90 cardinal successful 2023, according to reports. In November, Pope Francis warned that nan Vatican's pension money — which provides pensions to labor of nan Holy See and Vatican City State — has been facing a "severe prospective imbalance" that "tends to turn complete clip successful nan absence of interventions," according to nan Vatican News.

LIVE UPDATES: 'EXTRA OMNES' ORDER GIVEN, OFFICIALLY BEGINNING PAPAL CONCLAVE

This photograph shows tourer equipment including station cards (R) connected stands, pinch St Peter's Basilica of The Vatican successful nan background, successful Rome connected May 5, 2025. (GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP)

The governing assemblage of nan Vatican, besides known arsenic nan Holy See, doesn't supply nonstop numbers regarding its finances. However, nan Central Intelligence Agency’s World Factbook estimated its revenues and expenditures successful 2013 notched $315 cardinal and $348 million, respectively.  

It generates this money done various avenues. According to nan Michigan Journal of Economics, nan Holy See generates immoderate of its gross done Peter’s Pence, which is simply a word that describes donations collected from Catholics astir nan world and fixed to nan Pope connected an yearly basis. This accounts for $27 cardinal each year, pinch nan largest contributions deriving from nan United States, Germany and Italy, according to American Magazine.

WHAT IS THE PAPAL CONCLAVE: INSIDE THE ANCIENT PROCESS OF CHOOSING THE NEXT POPE

Rosary beads depicting Pope Francis were offered for 1 euro connected March 17, 2025, successful Vatican City, Vatican.  (Christopher Furlong)

A young visitant of a Catholic Church work donates money into a handbasket handed astir successful Bavaria, Kaufbeuren, successful July 2019.  ( Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/picture alliance)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News Digital reached retired to nan Vatican and United States Conference of Catholic Bishops for much accusation astir really nan pope gets paid, but did not instantly perceive back.