Pope aims to restore ‘body and spirit’ during vacation that brings a pontiff back to Castel Gandolfo

ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV on Sunday heads to the papal summer residence for a six-week vacation, giving the hilltop town of Castel Gandolfo back its most illustrious resident after Pope Francis stayed away during his 12-year pontificate.

Leo bid farewell to Rome during his Sunday noon blessing, saying he was taking a “brief period of rest.”

“I hope everyone can have some vacation time to restore the body and spirit,” Leo said from his studio window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.