Castel Gandolfo once again becomes the Pope's summer residence with Leo XIV

The Prefecture of the Papal Household has released Pope Leo XIV’s summer schedule, confirming that on the afternoon of July 6 he will travel to the Pontifical Villas of Castel Gandolfo to begin his summer rest period.

According to El Debate, this move also marks the return of the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo as the Pope’s summer residence. 

During Pope Francis’s pontificate, the building ceased to serve that purpose and was opened to the public as a museum—an arrangement that now ends, restoring the property to its original function.

The same report indicates that the Apostolic Palace is being prepared once again to welcome the Holy Father, while Leo XIV will no longer stay at Villa Barberini, where he had resided during previous visits to Castel Gandolfo. 

The decision is said to be motivated in part by security concerns, as access to that villa makes it more difficult to manage the presence of the faithful and visitors who come to greet the Pope.

Masses and Angelus in Castel Gandolfo

The schedule published by the Holy See includes several public celebrations during the Pontiff’s stay. On Sunday, July 13, Leo XIV will celebrate Mass at 10:00 a.m. in the Pontifical Parish of St. Thomas of Villanova and, at 12:00 p.m., will lead the recitation of the Angelus from Liberty Square.

On July 20, the Pope will travel to Albano Cathedral to celebrate the Eucharist at 9:30 a.m. He will then return to Castel Gandolfo for the Angelus and, later that afternoon, will return to the Vatican.

As is customary during the summer period, the Holy See has announced that private audiences will be suspended throughout July. There will also be no general audiences on Wednesdays July 2, 9, 16, and 23, with the regular schedule resuming on July 30.

Return in August

The calendar includes a second summer stay in Castel Gandolfo during August. On August 15, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, Leo XIV will celebrate Mass at 10:00 a.m. in the Pontifical Parish and will afterward lead the Angelus.

Finally, on August 17, after the Sunday Marian prayer, the Pontiff will return definitively to the Vatican, concluding his summer rest.

With this return to Castel Gandolfo, Leo XIV revives a tradition upheld for decades by his predecessors and restores the historic Apostolic Palace to its role as the Pope’s summer residence.