Pope Leo visits Castel Gandolfo ahead of his summer holiday

By Vatican News

On Thursday afternoon, July 3, Pope Leo XIV visited Villa Barberini, in the Borgo Laudato Si’ (“Laudato Si’ Village”) in Castel Gandolfo, to inspect the works in progress, as confirmed by the Holy See Press Office.

Starting on Sunday, July 6, the Pope will travel to the town located 25 kilometers (around 16 miles) from Rome for a period of rest until July 20.

During those 14 days, the Pope will celebrate Mass on Sunday, July 13, at 10:00 AM in the Pontifical Parish of Saint Thomas of Villanova. At 12:00 PM, he will lead the Angelus prayer in Freedom Square, in front of the Apostolic Palace.

On Sunday, July 20, at 9:30 AM, he will again celebrate Mass in the Cathedral of Albano. Before his election to the papacy, then-Cardinal Robert Prevost was titular bishop of the diocese of Albano.

That same day, at 12:00 PM, Pope Leo XIV will recite the Angelus in Freedom Square. He will then return to the Vatican in the afternoon.

All private audiences and weekly General Audiences have been suspended throughout July. The General Audiences will resume on Wednesday, July 30. In the days following, the Jubilee for Youth will take place from July 28 to August 3, and the Pope is expected to attend.

On May 29, Pope Leo XIV had already visited Castel Gandolfo in order to tour the Borgo Laudato Si’ (“Laudato Si’ Village”).

The project was created by Pope Francis in 2023 within the Papal Villas area as an educational space for issues related to the environment, as a concrete example of the "integral ecology" at the heart of the encyclical Laudato si’ which he published ten years ago.

On that occasion, Pope Leo also visited the Apostolic Palace, which Pope Francis had transformed into a museum complex open to the public in 2016.