Pope begins summer vacation

(July 08, 2011) Pope Benedict XVI began his annual vacation on Thursday evening, flying out in a helicopter to the hilltown papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo, just southeast of Rome. After his arrival the Pope appeared on the balcony of the papal residence overlooking the town’s public square and greeted the town’s people who had gathered there to welcome him. This is the German Pope’s second consecutive summer vacation at Castel Gandolfo. The Prefecture of the Pontifical Household said that during the Pope’s vacation the rest of July, all his private and special audiences, including his Wednesday general audiences will be suspended. However, his weekly midday ‘Angelus’ prayer will take place on Sundays at Castel Gandolfo. The Pope will resume his weekly general audience on Wednesday, August 3. After his vacation, the Holy Father will continue residing at Castel Gandolfo for the rest of summer until September end. However the Pope will make three visits outside Castel Gandolfo. He will join the World Youth Day in the Spanish capital, Madrid, Aug. 18-21 and on September 11 he will travel to Ancona, Italy, to conclude the national Eucharistic Congress. Later in September he will travel to his native Germany. Fr. Lombardi also said that Pope Benedict will be working on a third but small volume of Jesus of Nazareth on the infancy of Jesus. He has already begun working on it during his free time, but will definitely take the work much ahead during this vacation.