Pope Leo XIV Begins Summer Holidays at Castel Gandolfo

Vatican, July 7, 2025 — Pope Leo XIV arrived at the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo on Sunday afternoon to begin his summer holidays. The Holy Father was warmly welcomed by a large gathering of the faithful, including several religious sisters, marking the start of his customary seasonal retreat in the scenic hill town southeast of Rome.

Applause and chants accompanied the passage of the papal vehicle. A few metres from the entrance to Villa Barberini, as noted above, Pope Leo stopped the car and immediately made his way to the people, who called from one side and the other: “Pope Leo!” “Your Holiness!” “Holy Father!” His first gesture was to bless some children in their parents' arms, then he greeted some elderly ladies. Among them was Conchita, a Spanish woman from Zaragoza, on holiday in Rome: “I shook his hand and said: Pope Leo, te quiero mucho” (Pope Leo, I love you very much).

The nuns of the Congregation of the Presentation of Mary, originally from Cameroon, called out to the Pope in French, hoping he would come closer. Leo XIV shook as many hands as possible, then headed inside the Villa where Sister Raffaella Petrini, president of the Vatican Governorate; Bishop Vincenzo Viva, director of the Pontifical Villas; Andrea Tamburelli; and Mayor Alberto De Angelis were waiting for him.

Once the gate was closed and the crowd began to disperse towards the square and the lake area, a woman's cry caught everyone's attention: Pope Leo suddenly appeared on the balcony of the Villa. Behind the yellow and white flag of Vatican City and behind the ivy-covered wooden panels, the Pope waved to the people on the street. A few moments of great enthusiasm, immortalised by smartphones and cameras.

Directly below the balcony was a group of four nuns, Daughters of the Sagrada Familia, a congregation founded in Colombia and based in Rome. And from Rome, Maria Deleite de los Santos, Maria Regina Pacis, Maria José (Peruvian from Piura) and Maria Maestra Orante left immediately after the Angelus to come and greet the Pope up close. “How kind of him to get out of the car to greet us!” they exclaimed. They even managed to shake hands with the Pontiff: “We have been to many audiences, but this is the first time we have seen him so close.” To Leo XIV, who begins his holidays this afternoon, the nuns offered a greeting and a wish: “Holy Father, we welcome you to Castel Gandolfo. We pray hard for your intentions and for this well-deserved rest. We accompany your work with prayer.”

Courtesy: Vatican