On Tuesday, May 19, Pope Leo XIV visits the Vatican Observatory in Castel Gandolfo and greets the religious, lay and scientific staff present.
Vatican News
On the afternoon of Tuesday, May 19, Pope Leo XIV visited the Vatican Observatory in Castel Gandolfo, just outside of Rome.
This is not the Pope’s first time in the Observatory, as he had visited the space on July 20th, 2025, on the 56th anniversary of the Moon landing.
The astronomical observatory is located in Castel Gandolfo, the town near Rome where the Pope spent his Tuesday working and resting, as he usually does.
The Pope was welcomed by Sister Raffaella Petrini, president of the Governorate of Vatican City State, together with the secretaries general, Archbishop Emilio Nappa and Giuseppe Puglisi-Alibrandi.
Pope Leo XIV during his visit to the Vatican Observatory (@Vatican Media)
Also present, among others, were the director of the Observatory, Jesuit Father Richard Anthony D’Souza, and his predecessor, fellow Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno, current president of the Vatican Observatory Foundation.
After a brief moment of prayer in the chapel of the facility, the Pope met and greeted the religious, scientific, and lay staff.
