Leo will disappear further this weekend when he begins a six-week vacation in his first break since his historic election May 8. Leo is resuming the papal tradition of escaping the Roman heat for the relatively cooler climes of Castel Gandolfo, the papal summer retreat on Lake Alban, south of Rome.

The Pontiff will stay on the hilltop Vatican property from the afternoon of July 6 to the afternoon of July 20. Part of the papal presence in Castel Gandolfo is the opportunity to pray the Sunday Angelus with Leo.

Pope Leo XIV heads off on holiday on Sunday, having spent his first two months as Catholic leader rebuilding unity and bolstering