On May 8, history was made by the Catholic church. Chicago native Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected to succeed the late Pope Francis. Pope Leo XIV, the name Prevost chose as the new Bishop of Rome and leader of Catholics worldwide, is the first American to be pope.
There’s been much pride in and curiosity about the man who now is the supreme pontiff. But I must admit that one of my favorite comments about the election of Pope Leo XIV was a social media post from a Catholic baseball fan.
“Now that we have an American Pope, there's no longer any excuse for the silence of the Holy See on the designated-hitter rule, which is an obvious violation of natural law,” wrote Red Sox fan Philip Lawler on X.
While the pope, an acknowledged White Sox fan, has a lot of power, I suspect that any opinions he has about America’s pastime will carry the same weight as the rest of us fans, which is to say not very much.
But there is another more official U.S. institution that will continue to affect the new pope’s life.
As a U.S. citizen living and working abroad, Pope Leo XIV still must abide by the Internal Revenue Code. So, since U.S. tax law requires all citizens to pay taxes on their worldwide income, he’ll have to file a return and pay tax on his earnings like all the rest of us Internal Revenue Service subjects.
It’s not a new situation for Pope Leo.
Although he was born and raised in the Chicago area he’s spent much of his professional liturgical life outside the United States, primarily in Peru. In 2023, he went to Rome after Pope Francis appointed him head of the office that vets bishop nominations.
Now, The Vatican is his official, permanent and, for a U.S. taxpayer, foreign residence.
The intersection of faith and taxes always is interesting and usually tricky. That, along with the historic American pope, is why this weekend’s Saturday Shout Outs go to articles on Pope Leo’s U.S. tax responsibilities.
Even as pope, Leo XIV might have to deal with U.S. tax returns write Victoria Craw and Julie Zauzmer Weil in their Washington Post article. Or, as they note at the top of the piece, “Pope Leo XIV, the newly elected pontiff, must answer to at least one more higher power: the IRS.”
The Pope Took a Vow of Poverty. He May Still Need to File U.S. Taxes. That’s the headline of Laura Saunders’ Wall Street Journal article. In the piece, Saunders notes that there are unusual circumstances for the Chicago-born pope that could exempt him from owing or even filing U.S. taxes. But, she adds, he may want to file a return even if he doesn’t owe anything.
Pope Leo XIV may face a six-figure tax bill for his $33,000-a-month paycheck writes Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez in a piece for Fortune magazine. “One of the first things Pope Leo XIV may need to do as the newly elected leader of the Catholic Church has nothing to do with religion, but rather finances: finding an accountant,” notes Quiroz-Gutierrez.
If you have issues accessing the Fortune article due to limits on free reads for nonsubscribers, it’s reprinted at Yahoo Finance.
Finally, this weekend’s shouts wrap up with a look at taxes and more issues surrounding the new American pope.
Taxes, voting, and citizenship – An American pope explainer by Michelle La Rosa asks and answers “Does Pope Leo have to deal with the IRS?” and more in her article for the Catholic media site The Pillar.
I also recommend you check out the comments on the various articles. Lots of interesting tax and church takes, especially at The Pillar, from the mostly lay community.
Whatever faith or belief system you follow, or don’t, and regardless of where you live, the new pope’s tax circumstances are a reminder that there are some things all we U.S. citizens share and must endure, like taxes.
And some us also share rooting interests in Major League Baseball teams that too often could use a little divine intervention! With that, I’m off this Saturday to listen to, and yell for — and yes, probably aim some unsaintly expletives at — my teams.
You also might find these items of interest:
- Pope Francis tells churches: Help refugees or pay taxes
- Vatican to help IRS get taxpayers to render unto Uncle Sam
- Pope Francis urges accountants to put people before money
- Inflation adjustments that will apply to Americans living abroad in 2025
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