Pope Marks First Year Far From Rome's Madding Crowd
The 77-year-old will not even be in the Vatican, having left on Sunday for a retreat in woods located in the Castelli Romani, a picturesque area on the southeastern outskirts of Rome.
Via AFP:
Pope Francis will spend the first anniversary of his election in a spiritual retreat, far from the adoring crowds in Rome and the tensions within the Church hierarchy that have defined the last year.
In keeping with Francis's tendency to eschew much of the pomp and ceremony associated with his role, Thursday's anniversary is not being marked in any official way.
The 77-year-old will not even be in the Vatican, having left on Sunday for a retreat in woods located in the Castelli Romani, a picturesque area on the southeastern outskirts of Rome.
In the manner that has come to define his...