Pope begins vacation

Pope John Paul II left Rome on Friday afternoon to begin his summer vacation at his lakeside residence of Castelgandolfo. In an official statement, the Vatican said that the Holy Father will not be holding any audiences during his holiday. He will continue to hold general audiences at Castelgandolfo on Wednesdays and Sundays. Vatican spokesman Joaquim Navarro-Valls said the Pope plans to spend part of the holiday writing a book about his time as bishop in Poland. Source: VIS