Pope Benedict XVI, about to begin an Alpine holiday, said on Sunday that the mountain air will be good for him, and he wished everybody the chance to go on vacation to recharge body and soul.Benedict told pilgrims and tourists that he leaves on Monday for Lorenzago di Cadore, where he will stay in a villa until July 27 in the Dolomite mountains. He noted that the Alpine town was a favorite of his predecessor, John Paul II.
"The air of the mountains will do me good, and I will be more free to dedicate myself to reflection and prayer," Benedict said in his weekly appearance at his studio window overlooking St. Peter's Square.
"I hope everybody, especially those who feel a great need for it, can have a bit of vacation, to recharge physical and spiritual energies and regain a healthy contact with nature," the pontiff said.
"Mountains, in particular, evoke the ascent of the spirit toward on high, the elevation toward the 'high altitude' of our humanity, which, unfortunately, daily life tends to bring down," he said.
Benedict's private vacation was described as a "period of rest," although the 80-year-old pontiff has two scheduled appearances, on July 15 and July 22, to deliver the traditional Sunday noon Angelus prayer.
From the Alps, Benedict will head to the Vatican summer palace outside Rome in the hill town of Castel Gandolfo.
The pope lauded another way to spend free time — sports.
Referring to an international handball tournament was being held in Italy, Benedict noted that many of the participants come from countries in conflict with each other.
"Yet this peaceful gathering of athletes is an example of how sports can bring us together in the spirit of fellowship between peoples and cultures," he said. "Sports is a sign that peace is possible."
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