Augustinian prior opens up about papal vacation, first encyclical, appointments and tennis

ROME — Pope Leo XIV began his summer break July 6 at Castel Gandolfo, where he’ll stay through July 20. But don’t expect the Holy Father to simply relax.

According to Augustinian Father Alejandro Moral Antón, a longtime friend, Pope Leo plans to draft the framework of his first encyclical during the break — possibly touching on peace, unity or artificial intelligence.

Father Moral, prior general of the Augustinian order, shared insights with the Italian daily Il Messaggero on how Pope Leo will spend his summer break in Castel Gandolfo.

“When he informed me that he would take a break by going to Castel Gandolfo, I was personally very happy. I know he is working a lot, with astonishing rhythms. He is an indefatigable person and I know that by nature he never backs down. But lately, I have even seen him a bit thinner,” Father Moral, 70-year-old Spaniard told Il Messaggero’s Vatican correspondent Franca Giansoldati.

He said that even in his time as prior general in the Augustinian curia, Father Robert Francis Prevost “always operated tirelessly.”

“I remember that even when he was prior, he was the first to cross the chapel threshold, early in the morning, and at night in his room, the light stayed on until very late. I remember because we were neighbors. Now that he is pope, things have not changed much, and he has many more responsibilities.”

Father Moral told Il Messaggero that the pope stays up late, replying “to many messages on WhatsApp even at 3 in the morning, evidently when he reaches the end of his day, before going to bed. It’s his nature. Reliable, consistent, prepared, never inattentive.”

While the fellow Augustinian admitted his “public commitments have been reduced to a minimum” for vacation and that “he will recite the Angelus and celebrate Sunday Mass in nearby parishes,” he also said that at Villa Barberini, where the pope will be staying, “I know he will begin work on his first encyclical.”

Asked whether the title is known yet, the prior replied: “I don’t think so, the other day he just told me that he will use these two weeks to develop the main structure of the text. Obviously, he is already working on it, but he is forced to do it in the evening or in spare moments and would need more time, which will happen during the vacation.”

Regarding the encyclical, Father MoraI said: “I can imagine it will be something related to the concepts evoked since the first hours of his election. The theme of peace, social doctrine, unity, artificial intelligence. But these are just my deductions.”

Asked whether the pope will play tennis — the sport he enjoys most, according to reports, the Spanish Augustinian said: “To be honest, he never stopped. Even though he has only done it once in two months, a couple of weeks ago, coming right here, to the house of the Augustinians. He played with his personal secretary, Don Edgar. It was one of his rare moments of leisure. He lacks time now. In the past, we played together too, we challenged each other many times” on a court that overlooked “the general curia.”

He said the Augustian general house in Rome is “a good place to play, and then there are tall plants around, and no one sees.”

Despite the fact that the papal stay will take place in a villa, not the main palace — transformed into a museum by Pope Francis — the pope’s fellow friar said that for him, “the important thing is that he rests because then a heavy autumn awaits him, very dense, between Jubilee (Year) commitments, appointments and travels.”

Only after the summer break, the pope will make changes to the Vatican government — in other words — the Curia, Father Moral predicted.

“This break will certainly help him weigh everything. The time available will then be used to write the encyclical.”

Asked about papal trips, Father Moral said that “this year, apart from the trip to Turkey, I don’t think there will be any other trips, considering that there is the Jubilee and many other commitments. Next year, however, I think we will see him with a suitcase in hand, something he has always done when he was prior.”

Father Moral remembered the time when now-Pope Leo governed the Augustinian order between 2001 and 2013 with gratitude in his Il Messaggero interview.

“When he left the order after being elected for two terms, he was greeted with an applause lasting over 10 minutes, a standing ovation. He governed us for a long time with righteousness, judgment, loyalty and transparency. A person of rare balance.”

He said the pope, in his free time, likes to play the piano. “He studied music when he was little, (he) reads sheet music. A few days after the election, he received a famous Italian orchestra conductor, and Leo XIV played a not-easy piece by Bela Bartok on the piano.”

Asked what his relationship with the press would be and what communication policy he would pursue, the Spanish Augustinian prior said, “He knows well that without communication it is complicated for a complex organization to move forward. For him, communication is fundamental. When the Augustinians didn’t have a web page, it was he who wanted it and he who created it, materially.”

The prior also said that Pope Leo loves Rome “so much.”

“He came for the first time in 1981 to study, and stayed for three years, and then returned in 2001 until 2013, he knows Rome very well. He has it in his heart.”