Pope Leo XIV has begun his summer vacation at the country residence of Castel Gandolfo south of Rome, concluding an intense period of the first months of his pontificate, during which he sharply increased the Vatican’s presence on the international stage, the Associated Press writes.

According to the Vatican, the pontiff will remain at the residence until July 27, and all public audiences have been suspended for this period. Leo XIV also confirmed that he will use the Apostolic Palace overlooking Lake Albano as his main place of stay during the summer period.

Speaking from the balcony of the residence, he said that he was glad to spend several weeks resting with prayer, reading, and sports, addressing the gathered residents with a blessing.

The decision differs from the practice of his predecessor Francis, who did not use Castel Gandolfo as a summer residence and turned the Apostolic Palace into a museum. Under Leo XIV, the Vatican has returned to the tradition of the pontiff staying in this place, while part of the administrative structures will continue to operate in a reduced format.

The vacation follows a period of the Pope’s active foreign policy activity, during which he put forward initiatives on migration, global security, and the regulation of artificial intelligence, and also took a notable position in international discussions on war and peace.

Particular attention was drawn to his stance on migration: Leo XIV visited symbolic sites of migrant deaths in Europe and called for their protection and integration, emphasizing the moral responsibility of states.

Earlier, the pontiff also published his first encyclical, in which he argued for strict regulation of artificial intelligence and declared it unacceptable to delegate autonomous decisions on the use of force to machines. The document also contained a rare acknowledgment by the Vatican of historical responsibility for supporting the practice of slavery in the early periods of church history.

Separately, the Vatican decided to excommunicate a group of traditionalists linked to the Society of Saint Pius X after they appointed bishops without the sanction of the Holy See. The decision became one of the Vatican’s toughest steps regarding schism in recent decades.

According to observers, the pontiff combines a course toward dialogue with a readiness for tough disciplinary measures within the church, strengthening the Vatican’s centralized governance.