Ashley Noronha joined John Morales on Morning Air to discuss new Vatican family leave policies and the rhythms of Italian life during the month of August.
Pope Leo XIV recently approved a new paternity leave policy for Vatican employees. Fathers may now take five fully paid days off following the birth of a child. These days must be taken in full-day increments and used within thirty days of the child’s birth. In addition, parents of children with severe disabilities may take three full days off each month to provide needed care.
Other changes affect the Family Allowance Benefits, similar to child tax credits in the United States. Previously, these allowances ended when children reached the age of majority. Now they extend to children up to the age of twenty-six if they are enrolled in a university program.
Ashley noted that these updates are a step forward in recognizing the dignity of family life. She recalled Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical Rerum Novarum, which taught that workers are not defined solely by their labor, but must be supported in their role as husbands, wives, and parents. Protecting families from the overwhelming demands of work is part of honoring the God-given dignity of each person. In this light, Vatican policies that give families more time together reflect the Church’s long-standing concern for the worker and the home.
The conversation also turned to Italy’s cultural traditions during the month of August. Ashley described how Rome, bustling throughout the year, becomes nearly empty in the heat of late summer. Families travel either to the seaside, to the mountains, or to countryside homes, leaving the city quiet and still. This custom traces back to agrarian roots: harvest was completed in June and replanting began in the fall, leaving August as the natural time for rest. What began as a farmer’s reprieve eventually spread across the nation and continues to this day.
Even as Italy transitioned from an agricultural society to an industrial one, the August holiday remained deeply ingrained in the culture. Today, some eighteen million Italians take part in these summer vacations, spending an estimated 17.5 billion euros. The quiet streets of Rome, contrasted with lively beaches and mountain villages, are a visible reminder of the value Italians place on balance between work and rest.
In both the Vatican’s new leave policies and the enduring Italian tradition of August holidays, Ashley observed the same theme: the recognition that human dignity calls for more than endless work. The Church teaches that labor has meaning, but it must never come at the expense of family life and personal well-being. Whether through modern policies that allow fathers to be present at home, or cultural customs that preserve a time for rest, the rhythm of work and rest reflects God’s design for human flourishing.