Pope Leo XIV speculated to move into a modest suite above the papal apartments, balancing tradition and reform nine months after his election.
Newsroom (04/02/2026 Gaudium Press ) Nine months after ascending to the papacy, Pope Leo XIV is speculated to move into his official residence—but not the one most expected. In a decision both practical and symbolically rich, the pope has rejected the traditional papal apartment that has housed modern pontiffs since 1870. Instead, he will take up quarters in what Italian daily La Repubblica has described as an “attic” suite above the famed Terza Loggia of the Apostolic Palace.
According to reports, the newly refurbished suite—carved out of former staff and guest quarters—reflects Leo’s preference for simplicity and privacy. The residence includes the essentials: a bedroom, detached bathroom, kitchen, a small terrace, and even a tiny chapel. There is also space for exercise, a personalized touch that mirrors his commitment to health and self-care. His brother, John Prevost, confirmed in an interview with the National Catholic Reporter that the pope had gym equipment installed and occasionally cooks his own meals.
Decorated primarily in white with modest furnishings, the suite will also include two rooms for the pope’s personal secretaries, Msgr. Edgard Rimaycuna and Fr. Marco Billeri. The design choices evoke austerity rather than grandeur—a visual reflection of Leo’s understated approach to leadership.
Unlike his predecessors, Leo’s quarters will not overlook the sweeping vista of St. Peter’s Square. Instead, they sit discreetly above the Vatican Bank in a quieter wing of the palace, emphasizing both seclusion and security. The move also signals a departure from the public-facing symbolism of the papal window, long a hallmark of modern papacies.
Earlier speculation suggested that Leo might invite fellow members of the Augustinian order—known for their emphasis on community life—to live with him in the palace. While those reports were later denied, the pope remains close to the Augustinian priests who oversee the papal sacristy, often joining them for meals.
Renovation work, visible in recent weeks with cranes outside the Apostolic Palace, indicates that construction is nearing completion. The previous significant remodeling of papal quarters occurred in 2005 following the death of St. John Paul II, when Pope Benedict XVI had the apartment updated with new wiring, plumbing, and a private library. Leo’s new suite, by contrast, is being fashioned from smaller rooms dating back to 1939—once reserved for members of the papal household—suggesting both continuity and reinvention.
Since his election, Pope Leo XIV has remained in his old quarters at the Holy Office, where he resided as a cardinal overseeing the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. Most Tuesdays, he can be found at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, maintaining a retreat tradition cherished by his predecessors.
The decision to live within but not precisely in the papal apartment offers a shrewd balance between reform and respect for heritage. While some had hoped for a complete return to tradition after Pope Francis’s 12-year pontificate at Casa Santa Marta, Leo’s choice signals a subtler message: a continuation of Francis’s spirit of personal freedom, shaped within the venerable walls of the Apostolic Palace.
In that quiet gesture—a preference for a simple “attic” over historic opulence—Pope Leo XIV appears to be charting a middle path for the modern papacy: reverent, independent, and quietly transformative.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from NCR Online
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