“Those who don't rest tire others,” noted French priest Pierre Amar this past summer. He made this wise observation to I.Media while sharing his very positive perception of Pope Leo XIV's stay in Castel Gandolfo. When the pope rests, it also allows his colleagues to take a breather! Some employees under pressure may therefore see the pope's attitude as a valuable management lesson to suggest to their hyperconnected bosses!
Pope Leo XIV is the first pope to personally use Facebook and WhatsApp, but he’s also making connections by insisting on a certain right to rest.
The Pope's brother, John Prevost, explained to NBC on August 15 that these stays in Castel Gandolfo allowed the pope to get away from “the crowds” and the “grind.”
“There really is an opportunity to relax, and he doesn’t have to be dressed in his papal outfit all the time,” noted the Pope's big brother.
While this custom is in line with a very modern notion of privacy, it’s not entirely new for popes. They’ve traditionally been committed to observing a form of weekly rest, following the rhythm of God who, according to the story of Genesis, rested on the seventh day. Since for popes (and all priests), Sunday is by definition a working day, the “day off” was usually moved to Tuesday.
Tuesday rest is a custom and not a fixed rule: naturally, religious holidays, visits from international figures, or other circumstances can disrupt the pope's rest schedule.
While Benedict XVI liked to set aside time for reading and theological reflection, Pope Francis didn’t really take any regular breaks. Even though he remained in his residence at Santa Marta, and even though his official schedule was less busy on Tuesdays, he maintained an intense pace of meetings and gatherings, always wanting to keep a “hand” on the activities of the Vatican. He did maintain a balanced daily schedule, with a time of rest each afternoon.
John Paul II, an apostle of free time
Pope Saint John Paul II, a sportsman and nature lover, attached great importance to the rare moments of free time in his busy schedule. His second secretary from 1997 to 2005, Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki — the current Latin Archbishop of Lviv, Ukraine — even titled his book dedicated to the private life of the Polish saint (written in collaboration with journalist Brygida Grysiak) He Liked Tuesdays Best.
Archbishop Mokrzycki recounts that during his years with the Polish pope — a period marked by old age and illness — Tuesday was a precious day of relaxation, punctuated by readings and friendly encounters. It was also a special time for the Pope to meet with friends who had come from Poland.
While John Paul II was still able-bodied, the Mentorella shrine, run by the Resurrectionist Fathers, was a regular refuge for him. It was a place where he could quietly recharge his batteries. His official schedule mentions a dozen visits to this place, where he had already stayed regularly as a cardinal. However, a member of the religious community there reveals that he actually went more than 30 times as pope, sometimes without even informing his own secretary in advance.
From physical relaxation to political relaxation
At the beginning of his pontificate, these moments of free time also gave John Paul II the opportunity to play sports. On Tuesday, July 17, 1984, he spent the day skiing in the village of Pinzolo, in the Italian region of Trentino-Alto Adige, near Austria. The Pope then spent the night in a mountain refuge.
The day before, Italians had learned with amusement and surprise that the then “young” 64-year-old pope had invited the President of the Republic, Sandro Pertini, then aged nearly 88, to join him on his excursion. This agnostic socialist shared the head of the Catholic Church's love of the mountains.
"Useful" rest
Similarly, for Leo XIV, this time outside the Vatican isn’t necessarily devoid of important audiences and meetings: on September 16, he received Catholicos Karekin II, head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, at Castel Gandolfo.
This meeting was important from an ecumenical point of view, but also had a certain political resonance. Pope Francis was the target of criticism for his discretion during the successive wars waged by Azerbaijan between 2020 and 2023 to regain possession of the Nagorno-Karabakh plateau and expel the Armenian population.
In this delicate context, the fact that Karekin II's visit took place in Castel Gandolfo rather than in the Vatican certainly allowed the two church leaders to meet in a relaxed and fraternal atmosphere, free from any institutional or diplomatic pressure.
