As Pope Emeritus, Benedict receives a monthly pension of 2,500 euros, about $3,000 in early 2021. It's the standard pension for retired bishops (technically, the pope is the Bishop of Rome). However, should Pope Francis decide to make the pope emeritus a Cardinal Emeritus, Benedict's pension would double, to 5,000 euros a month, the Independent reported.
That's not a bad retirement salary, given he lives rent-free in the Mater Ecclesiae, a renovated former monastery inside Vatican City, which overlooks the Sistine Chapel. And the Roman Catholic Church covers all of his living expenses, as well as the salary of his personal secretary. The former pope is also still covered by the Vatican's private health care policy, according to the Independent. As for his leisure activities, Benedict said he would spend his time praying, reading, watching the news, and playing with his cats, as USA Today reported.
In all, it's a much better retirement plan than the last pope who resigned. As Britannica reports, when Pope Celestine V called it quits in 1294 after just five months in the papacy, his successor, Pope Boniface VIII, worried Celestine would pose a threat and imprisoned him in a castle. Celestine died shortly after that.
As Deadline reports, Discovery+ will stream Francesco, a documentary about Benedict's successor, Pope Francis, beginning March 28.
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