Pope Leo XIV arrived in the papal summer retreat of Castel Gandolfo on Sunday to start a six-week vacation, giving the hilltop town back its most illustrious resident after Pope Francis stayed away during his 12-year pontificate.

Pope Leo XIV, who is spending two weeks on summer holiday at the papal estate in Castel Gandolfo, encouraged people in his Sunday homily to embrace the summer season as a time to deepen their relationship with God through silence,

Pope Leo XIV is on vacation at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, a 135-acre estate featuring multiple properties and gardens.

Reflecting on the Parable of the Good Samaritan, the Pope called for a ‘revolution of love.’ This Sunday was the first time in 12 years that a pope has led the Marian prayer from the lakeside town.

After the whirlwind of his election, Pope Leo XIV has decamped to Castel Gandolfo to escape the heat of Rome and enjoy a summer vacation, like many popes before him.

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday restarted a papal tradition, leaving the Vatican for the summer retreat of Castel Gandolfo. The small town about 15 miles south of the Vatican has hosted popes for the summer dating back to the 1600s, but Pope Francis never took a summer vacation during his 12-year papacy.