For the first time, the annual Lenten Retreat for the Roman Curia will take place outside Rome.
The decision to move the retreat has been taken by Pope Francis himself, who has explained his decision as a desire to find a location which would encourage silence and contemplation beyond the work settings of the Vatican. The site meeting such requirements is the Casa del Divin Maestro in Albano, Italy, some 15kms south-east of Rome. The building faces Castel Gandolfo across lake Albano.
The Lenten Retreat will take place in the first week of lent 2014, between March 9 and 14.