On Thursday, May 29, the Feast of the Ascension, Pope Leo XIV paid a private visit to Borgo Laudato si’, located within the Gardens of the Pontifical Villas of Castel Gandolfo.

He was welcomed by Cardinal Fabio Baggio, Director General of the Laudato si’ Center for Higher Education, and Father Manuel Dorantes, the center’s Administrative and Operational Director. The Pope paused in the Garden of the Madonnina, a historically cherished sanctuary visited by many popes over the centuries. He then proceeded to tour the Belvedere Gardens.

The initiative, launched by Pope Francis on February 2, 2023, is rooted in the Church’s mission to promote integral ecology, combining care for creation with the protection of human dignity.

The Holy Father also stopped at the Cryptoporticus of Domitian’s Villa, dating back to the 1st century AD. There, among the archaeological remains of Emperor Domitian’s audience hall, he recalled the courageous actions of Pope Pius XII, who in 1944 offered refuge to over 12,000 people following the bombing of the Castelli Romani region during World War II.

Finally, the Pope concluded his visit with a stop at the Papal Palace and the historic Villa Barberini before returning to the Vatican.
(Source: @vaticannews)