ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV moved into the newly renovated papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace on Saturday, taking up residence in Pope Francis’ famous retreat.
The Vatican said Leo would travel with his closest aides to an apartment on the third floor of the Apostolic Palace overlooking St. Peter’s Square. The move and integration of Leo’s team signals that a new chapter is about to begin as his pontificate approaches a year.
After being elected last May, Leo continued to live in a small apartment in the Vatican’s Palazzo Sant’Uffizio, the headquarters of the Holy See’s doctrinal office and a number of private apartments for Vatican officials.
Over the next 10 months, the Vatican embarked on a massive renovation of the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace, which had never been used during Francis’ 12-year papacy and urgently needed updates to bring its electricity, plumbing and other utilities up to standard.
In recent months, a crane has been seen working on the site as Leo’s move-in date neared.
Francis chose not to live in the apartment because he said he wanted to be surrounded by other people. Instead, he stayed at the Vatican’s Santa Marta residence, an institutional-style hotel where visiting priests stay and where cardinals are sequestered during conclave.
Francis’ choice was consistent with his taste for simplicity and his disdain for papal pomposity. But the practical effect also meant that the entire second floor of the hotel was given over to the Pope, reducing its capacity for paying guests.
Leo, the first American pope in history, made it clear that he preferred to use the traditional garb and accoutrements of the pope. His decision to move into the Apostolic Palace was particularly praised by conservative critics, who saw it as a sign of respect for the pope.
In fact, Leo officially took possession of the residence within days of his election, walking through the reception rooms and chapel dedicated to his personal use. After Francis died on April 21, it was sealed with a red ribbon and wax, in compliance with papal rules, even though he died in a hotel room.
Anniversary is about to start a new chapter
Leo’s move signals a new chapter for the papacy that appears to be getting on track after a slow and thoughtful start.
Earlier this week, Leo made a second major appointment within the Vatican bureaucracy, with several prefects either reaching or past retirement age. He appointed an Augustinian priest, Spanish Archbishop Luis Marin de San Martín, as the new head of the Vatican’s charity office.
While the Vatican has not revealed who will move into the apartment with him, Leo has assembled a team of four close aides.
These included the two men who followed him most often in public and were his main gatekeepers: his secretary, Bishop Edgard Iván Limecuna Inga of Peru, and the Vice-Regent of the Papal Family, the Rev. Edward Dagnion Darén, an Augustinian priest from Nigeria.
In addition, Leo appointed former Swiss Guard Lieutenant Anton Kappler as second administrative assistant in his office, working alongside former Carabinieri Piergiorgio Zanetti.
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