Pope kept up tough work schedule through July, aide discloses

July 27, 2015

Pope Francis has held to a demanding work schedule in July, although he has made few public appearances during the month, a close aide told Vatican Radio.

“I always find him with his hands busy, full of papers, of correspondence,” said Msgr. Guillermo Karcher, an Argentinean priest who serves as master of ceremonies. He said that the Pope has used the month to catch up on correspondence, read documents, and prepare for future events such as his trip to Cuba and the US in September.

Accustomed to summers in Buenos Aires (where January is the hottest month), the Pope is not terribly bothered by the heat and humidity in Rome, Msgr. Karcher said. He recalled that in Argentina, the future Pontiff would walk through the slums in the summer months. He said that now Pope Francis misses such outings; “he was very used to walking, walking and being with the people.”

Pope Francis, who has not taken vacations since his election to the papacy, curtailed his public schedule somewhat during July, by suspending his regular Wednesday public audiences. Those weekly audiences will resume in August.

 

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Further information:

• Pope Francis works on through Rome summer heatwave (ANSA)
• The pope's 'staycation': Correspondence, trip preparation fill his days (CNS)