Pope Leo begins short break in Castel Gandolfo

Worth the wait - Image Vatican Media

Source: Vatican Media

Yesterday was the last Angelus in St Peter's Square before Pope Leo left for two weeks of rest in Castel Gandolfo. In his commentary on the Gospel, the Pope said that God placed "a desire for the infinite" in "people's heart, but "few perceive" this. The Church and the world need "loving disciples".

After the Angelus, he said that "peace is a desire of all peoples," while "those who govern" should replace weapons "by the pursuit of dialogue."

The sign the Pope was arriving at Castel Gandolfo came with the opening of the gate and the exit of two Swiss Guards at around 5pm. Then the roar of motorcycle engines and the dark car appeared from the bottom of the hill, before pausing for the Pope to get out to greet the long line of people who had been standing in the sun for at least a couple of hours. Some carried banners with welcome messages.

Among the crowds was Don Tadeusz Rozmus, Polish parish priest of the pontifical parish of Saint Thomas of Villanova, where the Pope will celebrate Mass on Sunday 13 July, his first public engagement in the Lazio municipality. A well-known biker, the parish priest joked with journalists outside Villa Barberini, saying that he had offered to accompany the Pope on his motorbike around Castel Gandolfo. "It was a formal/informal meeting, in the sense that the Holy Father greeted us but also stopped to talk to us for a while, offering words of encouragement and thanks for the preparation of all this. He was very open, very kind, smiling."

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. They said: "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."

The Holy Father will stay at Castel Gandolfo until 20 July and return again for a few days in August.