The Pope went on holiday for a good two weeks. A holiday? Not quite. Leo XIV did move to the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo. But numerous appointments interfered with the planned holiday. Now he is back in the Vatican.
Well arrived! Pope Leo XIV is back home. The head of the Catholic Church returned to the Vatican late on Tuesday evening. He had previously spent 16 days at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, around 30 kilometres away. The first official appointment in the Vatican so far will be a meeting with the President of Algeria, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, on Thursday. One of the biggest events of the Holy Year 2025 will take place next week. Around one million young people are expected to attend their special event in Rome.
Time out with obstacles
Although initially planned as a two-week break without audiences, the stay in the mountain village was lined with numerous appointments. Leo XIV, who was elected Pope in May, celebrated several masses, received hundreds of visitors at audiences, made personnel decisions and recorded video messages and greetings.
Above all, however, the head of state continued to be active on the diplomatic stage. Right at the beginning of his stay in the summer residence, Leo unexpectedly received Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and once again offered the Vatican as a venue for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. Following Israel’s attack on the Catholic parish in Gaza, he also spoke on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Premiere after twelve years of vacancy
Leo XIV was the first pope to move to Castel Gandolfo for a break in twelve years. Pope Francis spent the summer months in the Vatican and opened the palace, including the papal flat and gardens, to visitors. As the papal palace is now a museum, Leo XIV moved to the Villa Barberini on the 55-hectare site at his own request. “I can say that it was quite hectic at times and the coordination of the various teams was not easy, but in the end we fully achieved the goals we had set ourselves,” says the director of the property, Andrea Tamburelli, about the short-term renovation work for the Pope’s stay.
In an interview with the Governorate of Vatican City, he also reveals that during Leo’s stay, more than 30 people travelled from Rome every day to support the local workforce. Everyday life in the residence has changed completely. In addition to the Vatican interior decorators, the technical departments in particular were heavily involved, for example in solving sudden problems with the water or electricity supply. The nursery has worked intensively on the numerous green areas “to make them cosy and pleasant for the Holy Father’s walks”, says Tamburelli.
Next move coming up
Leo’s current stay in Castel Gandolfo will not be his last this year. He will return to the summer residence for another long weekend in mid-August. And a larger move is also planned in the near future. Just like the popes before Francis, Leo XIV would like to live in the Apostolic Palace again in future. Francis lived in the Vatican guest house Santa Marta. After twelve years of vacancy, the papal apartments in the Vatican are currently being renovated. The official move date from Leo’s previous flat in the religious authority to the left of St Peter’s Basilica to the papal palace to the right has not yet been communicated.
