Pope makes Sunday visit to summer residence
July 15, 2013
Pope Francis visited the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo on July 14, meeting with employees of the apostolic palace and holding his Angelus audience in the courtyard.
Pope Francis has indicated that he plans to remain at the Vatican throughout the summer, devoting himself to his work. That decision has been a disappointment to the people of Castel Gandolfo, who have come to rely on business generated by tourists who visit the little town while the Pope is in residence. However the Pope has said that he will make some visits to the summer residence.
Arriving on Sunday, the Pontiff offered said that he had come to be with the people of the town and “the pilgrims and all the visitors who justly love this place, who are enchanted by its beauty.” He encouraged the people of Castel Gandolfo “to be a sign of hope and peace, always attentive to those people and families most in difficulty.”
Addressing the residents of the town, the Pope mentioned that many of them had welcomed Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI in previous years. “May their witness always encourage you in your daily fidelity to Christ,” he said. At his midday audience, the Pope commented on the day’s Gospel, which recounted the parable of the Good Samaritan. “God always wants mercy for everyone and not condemnation,” the Pope said. The Good Samaritan, he added, “imitates the mercy of God.”
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Further information:
- The Pope Greets Employees of the Pontifical Villas at Castel Gandalfo (VIS)
- Pope Francis: Imitate God’s Mercy (VIS)
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