Vatican: reunion in Castel Gandolfo – Pope on vacation

There is still a small Bayern flag on the desk, the white-blue diamonds. There is also the “Lexicon for Theology and Church” in German, ten volumes, including the register and additional volume. As if the German Pope Benedict XVI, died on New Year’s Eve 2022, could still come to the office in the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo. Not much is happening here.

But after twelve years of hibernation, it is over in the 9,000-soul town southeast of Rome again with the calm. Now a Pope is back in Castel Gandolfo: the new Pontifex Leo XIV, two months in office, uses his summer residence – just like almost all the heads of the Catholic Church for four centuries.

Francis stayed in the Vatican during the summer

Not one: his immediate predecessor Francis. The Argentinian always spent the summer in the Vatican, in his apartment in the Santa Marta guest house – just as he never went on vacation as Archbishop of Buenos Aires. “That’s not my kind,” he said once. “I prefer to rest at home.” In addition, this was part of the self -evident modesty for the man.

As for the programmatic, Francis has so far followed the line of his predecessor. Not in the outside: With the vacation in Castel Gandolfo, the first Pope from the USA is resuming another tradition with which the Argentine had broken – just as he carries ornate more often, the golden breast cross, larger cars and wants to move back into the Papstemanian in the Vatican. However, the rooms still have to be renovated after the long vacancy.

And now also Castel Gandolfo, located in the mountains above Lake Alban, half an hour’s drive from Rome. In summer freshness, air is more bearable than in the capital, where the temperatures have been moving to 40 degrees for weeks. The Papal Palace in the province has belonged to the Vatican since 1596. Later there were two more villas. The area is even ten hectares larger than the Vatican City.

The first Pontifex, which took a break here in July and August, was called Urban VIII (1623-1644). Since then, the palace has been used by the popes. Pole Johannes Paul II (1978-2005) even had a swimming pool built – and promptly made headlines because Paparazzi caught him in swimming trunks. Benedikt retired here for a while after his surprising resignation.

Visitors can still go to the Apostolic Palace

From this time, one of the few photos with Francis, which exist from Castel Gandolfo: The old and the new Pope made a kind of handover in the palace in 2013. Benedikt spent the last years of life in the Vatican City. Francis had the palace declared a museum in 2016. Now tourists are also allowed in.

However, since Castel Gandolfo was no longer the center of Catholic events in the summer, hardly any visitors made their way there. Hoteliers, innkeepers and souvenir dealers are now hoping for better business again. However, it is not really progressing: in the palace you nowhere notice that there is a new pontiff. Francis is still alive on the pedigree. And the souvenir dealers complain that there are still no postcards with Leo.

Swimming pool, tennis court and Boccia-Platz

According to a report by the “Corriere della Sera”, the new Pope has already had a tennis court created: the 69-year-old is still playing. In addition to the swimming pool, there is also a Boccia square. Of course, Leo will not live in the museum, but in Villa Barberini, an outbuilding in the city center. Before the departure, on Sunday prayer in front of ten thousands on St. Peter’s Square, he also wished everyone else “a good vacation time to relax body and mind”.

Obviously, Leo actually wants to take it easy for the next few weeks. He had all audience canceled. The new head of 1.4 billion Catholics had primarily taken care of internal things in his many appointments: in the curia, the church’s power apparatus, there was some resentment about Francis. In addition, there was a lot during his illness. So far, Leo has given up when traveling abroad. He also gave a single, meaningless interview.

Sunday prayer not on St. Peter’s Square

Leo also has some appointments during the holidays. So he wants to speak the everyday Angelus prayer in Castel Gandolfo next week. On July 20, we will go back to Rome for a while. The Mariä skyfit weekend on August 15th, highlight of the holiday season in Italy, he spends again in the summer residence.

A decision is still pending: whether the Apostolic Palace in Castel Gandolfo remains open to visits. The director of the papal villas, Andrea Tamburelli, says: “The decision about his future lies with the Pope.” Many in the town expect Leo to use the palace as accommodation from next summer, like most predecessors. The Bavarian flag on the desk would then come away.