Pope Leo XIV Moves Into The Papal Residency

Pope Leo XIV has moved into the Papal residency, the Vatican Apostolic Palace, which every Pope has lived in but which his predecessor, the late Pope Francis, eschewed.

Pope Leo XIV entered the residency on Saturday, March 14, 2026, along with his closest collaborators. The large apartment includes bedrooms, a chapel, a vestibule, a library, an office, a dining room, and a room where the Pontiff recites the Angelus prayer every Sunday from a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.

The Pope initially announced that he would move into the papal residence just after he assumes office on May 8, 2025. However, after the late Pope Francis abandoned the residence, choosing to live in a simple apartment at the Santa Maria guesthouse in the Vatican, the residence required renovations.

The 70-year-old Pontiff had remained at the Palace of the Holy Office, near the Vatican, where he had lived as a cardinal.

Pope Francis shocked traditionalists when, after his election, he decided to live in a simple apartment in the Santa Marta guesthouse in the Vatican, where he remained until his death. The gesture was viewed by supporters as the act of a humble Pope, but attracted criticism from conservatives who accused him of divesting the papacy of its sacred elements.