“Our hope is that the Holy Father will be well here in Castel Gandolfo, that he may rest and accomplish what he himself has said is the purpose of his stay: prayer, rest, reading and sport.”That’s the wish of Father Tadeusz Rozmus, SDB, parish priest of the Pontifical Parish of St. Thomas of Villanova, shared in an interview with Vatican News. The Polish Salesian spoke about the first days of Pope Leo XIV’s summer stay, recalled last year’s visit, and described the excitement among local residents at the Pope’s return to the Apostolic Palace.
A surprise greeting from the PopeFather Tadeusz expressed gratitude for the Pope’s personal greeting from the balcony of the Apostolic Palace, which included a direct address to the parish priest and the parish community. The gesture came as a complete surprise.“For me it was an enormous surprise. I saw it as a recognition of the importance of our Pontifical Parish. Although the Vatican institutions located here operate independently, under Canon Law the parish and its parish priest have an important role. It was a very beautiful gesture by the Holy Father toward our entire community.”
A time for restThe parish priest noted that Pope Leo’s stay this year has a different character from last year’s. The Pope has already made clear that he intends to spend this period in Castel Gandolfo as a genuine time of rest.“The Holy Father said clearly,” Fr. Rozmus recalled, “that he came here to pray, to rest, to devote himself to reading and to sport. We have no particular expectations; we simply want him to feel at home here and to spend this time peacefully, according to his own wishes.”The faithful, he added, are especially looking forward with joy to the Angelus and to any other possible encounters that Pope Leo himself has indicated may take place.