Pope walks to Switzerland, visits famous Saint Bernard kennel

Published: 2006-07-19

LES COMBES, Italy (CNS) -- Vacationing in the Alps, Pope Benedict XVI made a brief visit to Switzerland, walking across the Italian border to visit the famed Saint Bernard kennel of an Augustinian monastery. News of the pope's July 18 excursion came from the pope himself. Returning to Les Combes, where he has been staying since July 11, Pope Benedict told reporters he had gone first to a convent of Benedictine nuns at Saint-Oyen, Italy. "We had a lovely meeting with the Benedictine sisters and we prayed together," the pope said. "Then we went to the Great St. Bernard Pass where we prayed vespers with the monks and with the people before having a nice encounter in the refectory." Meeting the pope shortly after 8 p.m., the reporters asked if he had a chance to visit the kennels where, for more than three centuries, the Augustinians raised Saint Bernard dogs and trained them to assist in mountain rescues. Smiling, the pope said yes, adding that the dogs "were very good, very brave."

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