Skip to main content

Two weeks after the death of Pope Francis, the new leader of the Catholic Church was selected and Robert Prevost, now known as Pope Leo XIV, has been chosen.

The announcement was made on May 8, 2025, following a vote cast by 133 sequestered cardinals and white smoke signaling to the world there is a new pontiff.

Pope Leo was born and raised in Chicago and attended Villanova University just outside Philadelphia. He is the first American pope in history. Now, people across the globe want to learn more about the new Holy Father.

Here’s more about Pope Leo including how much he gets paid.

What is Pope Leo’s salary?

Pope Leo was born Sept. 14, 1955, in Chicago to parents Louis Marius Prevost and Mildred Martínez. His father was of French and Italian descent while his mother was of Spanish descent. The pontiff speaks English, Spanish, Italian, French, and Portuguese, and can read Latin and German as well.

He graduated from Villanova with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics before he joined the Order of St. Augustine in 1977, serving at Immaculate Conception Church in St. Louis. He took his first vows in 1978 and his solemn vows in 1981. He taught physics and math in Chicago and became ordained a priest in 1982.

He spent most of his career as a missionary in Peru. When he became a cardinal in 2023, he earned a salary between $4,700 to $5,900 a month. But as pope, he will not be paid a salary. The reason for that is the Vatican takes care of all his expenses through stipends for his housing, food, attire, medical care, transportation, etc.

When it comes to Pope Leo’s personal net worth, that is unclear. Although Pope Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, did not receive a salary when he took office in 2013 either, The Economic Times reported a couple of months before his death that his net worth was around $16 million.

That figure was estimated based on various assets available to him as the pope. Those could include anything from the five cars at a pope’s disposal and any other benefits such as lavish Papal Apartments within the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican where some have resided during their tenure as head of the Roman Catholic Church.

Pope Francis’ net worth at the time of his death

At the time of his death on April 21, 2025, Pope Francis had a net worth of just $100, according to Celebrity Net Worth. So any money that he earned during his career serving the Catholic church before he became the pontiff was either donated or given away before he died.

Because Pope Francis’ passing prompted an outpouring of tributes from people in every corner of the globe, Pope Leo thanked him during his first speech saying: “We still keep in our ears that weak but always courageous voice of Pope Francis blessing Rome. The Pope who blessed Rome gave his blessing to the world, to the whole world that morning on Easter Sunday. Allow me to follow up on that same blessing: God loves us. God loves you all and evil will not prevail.”

Best in News