Pope pays surprise visit to Montecassino Abbey

Pope Leo XIV on Monday paid a surprise visit to the Abbey of Montecassino, where he met its monastic community and prayed for peace at the tomb of Saint Benedict, the Vatican said. The abbey, founded in 529 by Benedict of Nursia, had to be rebuilt after World War II as it was destroyed by Allied bombing in 1944 during the Battle of Monte Cassino. The Vatican said that, after having lunch with the religious community, the American pontiff returned to summer papal residence at Castel Gandolfo, where he is spending his summer break until July 27. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA