Pope Francis will not hold his regular Wednesday public audiences during the month of July, the Vatican has announced.

The Pope will reduce his schedule of activities, but will continue to greet the public on Sundays for his Angelus audiences. The relaxed summer schedule may allow the Pontiff to recover from his painful knee condition. He remains committed to a potentially taxing visit to Canada at the end of the month.

Unlike his predecessors, Pope Francis has chosen not to leave Rome during the summer, preferring a lighter schedule at the Vatican to a stay at the summer papal residence in Castel Gandolfo.