As he does every year, Pope Francis will not be receiving any visitors or hosting the Wednesday general audience during almost the entire month of July, the Prefecture of the Papal Household said on June 28, 2024. The Pope is expected to resume his meetings on July 30, 2024, when he will meet with a group of altar servers.
The statement from the Prefecture of the Papal Household, the body that organizes the Pope’s meetings, says that all the “general, particular, and special” audiences will be suspended from July 2 to the end of the month. It also states that the next general audience will be held on Wednesday, August 7.
Pope Francis' first meeting after the summer break is scheduled for July 30, 2024, when he will greet around 50,000 altar servers from all over the globe in St Peter’s Square. They will be visiting Rome as part of an international pilgrimage organized by Coetus Internationalis Ministrantium, a worldwide association that brings together altar servers.
Still some appointments though …
Despite the "break," the Pope will not be completely out of the public eye, as he will be traveling to the northeastern Italian city of Trieste on Sunday, July 7, for the last day of the 50th Italian Catholic Social Week, a conference focused on Catholic action and thought in various parts of society. There he will meet with several Church and ecumenical representatives, local political authorities and also several groups, including one of migrants, one of people with disabilities and one of academics. He will also celebrate a public Mass.
Additionally throughout July, the Pontiff will continue to recite the Angelus in St. Peter's Square at noon on Sundays, as usual. He may also continue to receive guests in private.
On July 28, 2024 the Church will also be celebrating the Fourth World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly, instituted by Pope Francis in 2021. Usually a Mass is held on this day, and last year Pope Francis celebrated it, but this year this event was not on Pope Francis’ calendar of celebrations from June to September. The previous year it was celebrated by other prelates.
Pope Francis is known for spending his summer break at the Vatican, continuing to work and study privately. Previous pontiffs, such as John Paul II and Benedict XVI, were known to go to Castel Gandolfo, a papal summer residence around an hour from Rome, or travel to other areas of the country to hike or be in nature.
