Pope Leo XIV returned to the Vatican on Monday night after concluding the summer rest period he had spent in Castel Gandolfo since July 5. According to Vatican media reports, the Pontiff left the Apostolic Palace at 8:34 p.m. and, before departing, greeted the faithful gathered in front of the papal residence and blessed several children who approached with their families to bid him farewell.
This return marks the end of a three-week hiatus that followed an intense month of June. The summer of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate was preceded by a particularly demanding schedule, marked by his apostolic journey to Spain (from June 6 to 12) and by the crisis that arose before, during, and after the episcopal consecrations of the four priests of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X, which led to their excommunication by the Holy See.
A rest marked by prayer and some public commitments
During his stay in Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo XIV alternated days of rest with several public events. On Sundays the 12th, 19th, and 26th of July, he presided over the recitation of the Angelus from the Apostolic Palace, drawing numerous faithful to Liberty Square.
On July 11, he also shared a lunch with 200 people in situations of social vulnerability, including 35 children, from the Diocese of Rome, in the gardens of the Pontifical Villas.
The stay also included several private outings. The Pope visited the Benedictine Abbey of Montecassino and, later, the Shrine of the Most Holy Trinity of Vallepietra and the monasteries of Saint Benedict and Saint Scholastica, in Subiaco, places especially linked to the Benedictine tradition.
A busy schedule for the coming months
With the summer rest concluded, the Pontiff will resume a schedule that will intensify again in the coming weeks.
On August 6, he will travel to Assisi to participate in the meeting with young people on the occasion of the eighth centenary of the death of Saint Francis and to preside over the celebration of Holy Mass. Subsequently, on August 22, he will make a pastoral visit to the Republic of San Marino and, on the same day, will travel to Rimini to participate in the 47th Meeting for Friendship among Peoples and to celebrate the Eucharist with the faithful of the diocese.
At the end of September, his apostolic journey to France will take place, scheduled between the 25th and 28th. Between Paris, Lourdes, and Metz, Pope Leo XIV will also visit the UNESCO headquarters following the invitation of the Director-General, Khaled Ahmed El-Enany Ali Ezz.
In October, from the 7th to the 14th, Pope Leo XIV will preside over the World Meeting on the implementation of Amoris laetitia at the Vatican, convened on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of Pope Francis’s apostolic exhortation. The Pontiff will receive the heads of the Eastern Catholic Churches sui iuris and the presidents of the episcopal conferences from around the world to address current challenges in family pastoral care.
Finally, in November, a visit to Peru is expected. Although the Holy See has not yet made the official announcement, Peruvian ecclesiastical and civil authorities are already working on the preparations for what will be Pope Leo XIV’s first visit to the country where he carried out a significant part of his episcopal ministry.