Expanded maternity and paternity benefits extended for Vatican workforce families by the Pope.
The Vatican has made significant strides in its internal labor policies, with Pope Leo XIV recently approving a series of reforms aimed at enhancing family benefits and protections for its employees.
One of the key expansions includes the introduction of five working days of fully paid paternity leave per birth, usable within 30 days. This leave can be taken consecutively or separately, but must be full working days, not hours. Additionally, parents of children with disabilities will now have the right to three paid days off each month to assist with their care.
These changes, formalized in a Rescript signed by Maximino Caballero Ledo, Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, after an audience with the Pope on July 28, 2025, also guarantee full pay during leave, including the continuance of seniority benefits.
This reform marks a significant development in the Vatican’s commitment to family and caregiving responsibilities, aligning its labor policies with its pastoral commitment. The Rescript also modifies some paragraphs of the Unique Text of Measures in Favor of the Family and the Norms for the Granting of the Family Subsidy.
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The Vatican's new paternity leave policy does not affect the existing policy for employees with children who are not disabled. If the children are students, the family subsidy can be received during the period of secondary studies until the maximum age of 20 years old or during the entire duration of university studies or studies recognized as equivalent by the Holy See, up to the age of 26 years old.
The clinical evaluation of disability and its severity for families with children with disabilities is carried out by a Medical College, and the decision of the Medical College regarding the disability evaluation is final, according to the Rescriptum. However, the new paternity leave policy does not apply to full-time hospitalized children of families with children with disabilities.
For families with children with "seriously proven disability", parents have the right to three days of paid leave per month. The Rescriptum specifies that the evaluation tables for disability severity are issued by the Higher Authority at the proposal of the Directorate of Health and Hygiene of the Governorate.
These changes reflect a broader emphasis on family support and the dignity of family life within the Vatican, and they are a testament to the Pope's commitment to addressing the needs of Vatican employees and their families.
- The new paternity leave policy, part of the Vatican's commitment to health-and-wellness in the workplace-wellness, now offers five working days of fully paid leave to fathers upon birth.
- Additionally, the Rescript, a significant development in the Vatican’s family-focused labor policies, grants parents of children with seriously proven disabilities three paid days off each month to attend to their health-and-wellness needs.
