.- Pope Benedict XVI will spend part of his summer vacation this year in the region of Alto Adige in the northern province of Bressanone, after which he will head to Castel Gandolfo for the rest of the summer.
During a recent press conference, Bishop Wilhelm Emil Egger of Bressanone said that during his days of rest from July 28 to August 11, the Holy Father will stay at the seminary of Bressanone.
“I very much esteem Pope Benedict XVI. He can attract both the masses and the intellectuals, the bishop said, adding that in Bolzano, “he is going to find an intimate and tranquil atmosphere.”
Likewise, Bishop Egger said the Pontiff “knows the seminary of Bressanone well, because he often visited here when he was cardinal.”
The Pope will suspend his Wednesday general audiences during his summer vacation, and will meet with the faithful only on two occasions, August 3 and 10, to pray the Sunday Angelus at the Cathedral of Bressanone.
In 2005 and 2006, Pope Benedict XVI spent his summer vacation in Valle de Aosta and last year in Lorenzago in the Italian Alps.
The region of Alto Adige is northern Italy and residents there speak Italian and German. The last time a Pope visited the area was in July of 1988, when John Paul II came on pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Pietralba in the town of Nova Ponente.
The Vatican has yet to confirm the Pope’s summer plans.
