Less than a year after its creation, Pope Leo XIV has formally dissolved the Commission for Donations to the Holy See, a fundraising body established by Pope Francis in early 2025, according to Vatican News.
The decision follows months of study and recommendations from the Vatican’s top financial oversight authorities.
In a papal decree for the Roman Curia, signed Sept. 29 and released Dec. 4, Pope Leo XIV formally shut down the initiative that Pope Francis had launched to spur contributions from “the faithful, episcopal conferences, and other potential benefactors in support of the mission and charitable work of the Holy See.”
The move followed an extensive review of the Vatican’s fundraising system. According to Vatican News, the Council for the Economy “has devoted particular attention” to the issue and issued “several recommendations aimed at reshaping the current institutional structure responsible for managing this area.”
Pope Leo adopted those conclusions in full. As the decree states, “after evaluating the suggestions of the Council and consulting experts,” he approved the Council’s resolutions, beginning with complete suppression of the commission that Francis had created only months earlier.
The decree is sweeping. Vatican News states that Pope Leo “repeals the statutes of the suppressed Commission,” orders “all members of the commission [to] immediately cease their function,” and directs that “all assets currently belonging to the Commission be immediately transferred to the Holy See.” The president of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See has been empowered “to proceed with the liquidation of the Commission according to the current legislation.”
Though the commission is now dissolved, the issue it was created to address remains central. Pope Leo’s decree emphasizes that “the issue of donations and fundraising for the Holy See represents an important aspect of the bond of unity and charity between the particular Churches and the Apostolic See.”
To manage the transition, the Pope assigned the Secretariat for the Economy, assisted by an appointed working group, to resolve all matters arising from the dissolution and to keep the Council for the Economy informed.
A separate working group will design proposals for a revised, more effective fundraising model for the Holy See.
According to Vatican News, “The Council for the Economy will propose the names of the members of this group, which will be submitted to the Roman Pontiff through the Secretariat of State.”
The shift is part of a larger effort to streamline and clarify responsibilities within the Vatican’s financial governance. Vatican News reports that the Council’s study prompted Pope Leo to act “in accordance with the procedures outlined in Praedicate Evangelium, the 2022 constitution restructuring the Roman Curia.
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