Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI both liked to relax in the papal villa at Castel Gandolfo during the summer months.
Pope Francis, on the other hand, has not taken a formal holiday since 1975 and perfers to remain in his modest rooms in a Vatican guesthouse as the temperatures in the Eternal City reach into the triple digits.
The Vatican Press Office recently announced that the papal villa will now open to the public as a museum.
Something had to be done with the place.
The halls of this Papal estate which rises on the crest of a volcanic crater which formed Lake Albano have remained empty since Francis assumed the Pontificate.
Little wonder the tourist vendors and business owners in Castel Gandolfo have little good to say about this Pope.
The latest gesture, opening the villa to the public so that tourists can visit the rooms where Popes have vacationed, is little appreciated by the townspeople whose local economy has tanked for lack of visitors.
The fact that Francis has declined to stay there has dealt a devastating blow to the small town’s coffee bars, restaurants, hotels and shops, the impact of which has been felt much more by working families than by the rich and mighty.
Expanding the palace’s function as a museum may draw more tourist traffic, which will be good for local business, but it’s hardly the same thing as having the Pope in town on a regular basis.
So, if you want to know what Catholics think of Pope Francis, don’t ask the citizens of Castel Gandolfo. Their responses are most likely not going to be objective, by a long shot.
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