between audiences, curia and private moments

Unlike those of its predecessors who had ended up being public, the habits of the new Pope still remain wide to discover. François settled his awakening between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m., Benoît XVI one to two hours later.

If the hour of alarm clock remains unknown, that of his official activities is public: Léon XIV receives in audience from 9 am. Then, he continues the meetings all morning, most often at the apostolic palace. There, he receives political and ecclesial figures from around the world, when it is not a group of pilgrims.

“Pope Léon XIV devotes a large part of his schedule to internal affairs of the church,” says a Vatican source. He meets many dicaster or managers to restore the link between the Pope and the Curia. ” Wednesday morning is marked by the general hearing, as is tradition.

And like his predecessors, the pope disappears again for lunch. He then spent the afternoon at his office to manage his files. “He must in particular tackle the writing of his first encyclical”, supposes Mgr Patrick Valdrini, canonist and canon of Saint-Jean-de-Latran. The publication of this first solemn text is of great importance and should give the main orientations of the pontificate.

But the day does not stop there. After his obligations, does he give himself free time? When he was still at the head of the dicastery for the bishops, Cardinal Prévost went a week to a gym not far from the Vatican. And if the location of the place affirms to Pilgrim That “the Holy Father is always a happy registered with us”, it is more likely to envisage that the bishop of Rome takes off behind the Vatican walls to practice a sporting activity. He could, for example, take advantage of one of the two Tennis courts in the Cité-etat, reserved for the employees of the Curia. But there too, the witnesses are missing to assert that the man in white would have faced himself with the nets of the Vatican.

Close to his family

Furthermore, Léon XIV does not seem to have a taste for his predecessor for unexpected visits to Rome. His visit to his Augustinian brothers on September 1, was for example enrolled in his official agenda. Does he also meet them in a more discreet way? “We would know, it’s impossible for a pope to go out discreetly,” says our vatican source.

On the other hand, one thing is certain: during his free time the successor of Pierre keeps a link with his relatives, in particular with his older brother John whom he calls daily. “We play Wordle (online letters game consisting in guessing a word of five letters in a maximum of six tests), sometimes with friends. Now I ask him: “So who have you met famous?” “Said John Prevost in the television channel NBC Chicago.

We can assume that Léon XIV devotes this moment of relaxation at the end of the day or at the start of the evening, due to the time difference with the United States. As for her bedtime, she remains for the moment as secret as that of getting up.