Pope Francis begins summer break, regular duties on hold
Pope Francis made an important decision. Starting Tuesday, he will be partially unavailable to the faithful and will not perform his usual duties. Francis is beginning his vacation. He certainly wants to gain strength before the intense travels planned for September.
According to the "Vatican News" portal, July will be a vacation rest for Francis. Hence, there will be no papal audiences throughout the month.
The Prefecture of the Papal Household, responsible for organizing meetings with the Holy Father, informed that from July 2 to the end of the month, there will be no Wednesday, special, or private audiences.
The first Wednesday audience after the holiday break will take place on 7 August, the portal informs.
The pope will not leave the Vatican. What are his plans?
During his rest, Francis regularly meets with the faithful for the Sunday Angelus prayer.
Due to the heat in August, the audiences will likely be held in the Paul VI Hall in the Vatican.
Additionally, he does not intend to travel like his predecessors to the Castel Gandolfo residence, which has recently been transformed into a museum at Francis' directive.
Francis will stay in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where he resides. Before the holiday break, he will preside over a consistory regarding upcoming canonisations. On 7 July, he will go to Trieste.
The Holy Father has a busy schedule in the year's second half. In the first half of September, he will visit Asia and Oceania: Indonesia, East Timor, Singapore, and Papua New Guinea. At the end of September, he will return to Europe and visit Luxembourg and Belgium.
