Vatican City, Jul 17, 2005 / 22:00 pm
During his noontime Angelus prayer yesterday, temporarily being held at his vacation spot in Les Combes, in Italy’s northern alps, Pope Benedict stressed the need for vacations, particularly for city-dwellers, to restore body and spirit.
The Holy Father joined with some 6,000 people, including locals, holiday-makers and pilgrims, who had gathered in Italy's Valle d'Aosta, to join him in the Marian prayer.
The Pope specifically recalled his "beloved predecessor," John Paul II, "whose memory is still alive in the stupendous mountains of the Valle d'Aosta" where "for many years he came to spend brief periods of vacation."
"This summer break," he continued, "is a truly providential gift of God following the first months of the demanding pastoral service with which Divine Providence has entrusted me."