Pope arrives at summer villa, calls for prayers for Middle East peace

Published: 2006-07-28

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI arrived at his summer villa south of Rome July 28 after an 18-day vacation in the northern Italian Alps. The pope left the Salesian-owned chalet in Les Combes in the early evening, driving to Aosta, then flying to Rome's Ciampino airport. Castel Gandolfo is a short drive from the airport. Leaving Les Combes, Pope Benedict again appealed for prayers for peace in the Middle East. Meeting with reporters outside the chalet, Pope Benedict said, "We should not be silent; we should do everything possible to get our message to the powerful." He said, "Our primary instrument is prayer. Naturally, it is a cry not only to God, but also to men." He also told reporters that following events in the Middle East, joining several Alpine communities for prayers for peace, reading, and working on speeches and a book did not take away from his vacation. However, he said, "as a vacation" his July 11-28 stay in Les Combes "was too brief. Now work begins again, but slowly."

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