Leo XIV moves into papal residence eschewed by Francis.
Pope Leo XIV on Saturday officially took possession of the papal apartments within the Apostolic Palace, marking a significant return to established Vatican tradition.
The move comes 10 months after his election in May 2025 and effectively ends a 13-year period during which the historic residence remained unoccupied.
Since his installation, the pontiff had continued to reside in his former quarters at the Palazzo del Sant’Uffizio, allowing for a comprehensive refurbishment of the Apostolic Palace’s top floor to address maintenance requirements.
The transition signals a departure from the precedent set by his predecessor, Pope Francis, who eschewed the papal apartments in favour of the more communal environment of the Domus Sanctae Marthae guesthouse.
In contrast, Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pontiff and a member of the Augustinian order, has indicated a preference for the institutional history of the papacy.
The renovated suite includes the private study – from which the pope traditionally delivers the weekly Angelus address – as well as a library and a private chapel. Italian media reported that the apartment also includes a home gym.
In a modern adaptation of the residence’s use, the Holy Father will not occupy the space in isolation; he will be joined by his private secretaries, Monsignor Edgard Rimaycuna and Father Marco Billeri.
The first pope to reside in these rooms in the Third Loggia was Saint Pius X (1903–1914), while the last pope to live there was Pope Benedict XVI.
The restoration of the apartments, together with Leo’s revived use of the summer residence at Castel Gandolfo, is widely viewed as the start of a new, more traditional chapter in the governance of the Catholic Church.
On 11 May 2025, Leo XIV removed the seals placed on the door of the papal apartment in the Apostolic Palace, placed there in line with Vatican protocol, following the death of Pope Francis at his Santa Marta residence on Easter Monday.
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