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Pope to host concert for peace with children from crisis-affected countries
An international choir of children and young people from crisis-affected parts of the world will come together with Pope Leo XIV and Andrea Bocelli to dedicate time to praying for peace at Borgo Laudato si’ on July 29, using music as a universal language of peace.
Vatican News
Borgo Laudato Si’ is scheduled to be the setting for a moment of prayer promoted by the Laudato Si’ Center for Higher Education and the Andrea Bocelli Foundation.
On July 29, an international choir of 164 children and young people from five areas around the world affected by crises will come together with Pope Leo XIV in an event where music becomes a universal language of peace.
The event, “Canticle of Peace,” is part of the celebrations marking 800 years since the death of St. Francis of Assisi.
The Pope will lead a moment of reflection and prayer, petitioning for peace in the world and taking inspiration from the Italian saint’s text of the Canticle of the Creatures.
A choir composed of international stories
One of the most important parts of the event will include music. Andrea Bocelli and the ABF Voices of Choir will accompany the time of prayer.
More than 160 young singers will come from the Holy Land, Uganda, Haiti, and Italy, bringing their diverse backgrounds and stories—often characterized by war, poverty, or challenges—together. However, their voices are a testament to the power of music and art as languages of dialogue, hope, and reconciliation understood around the world.
Through their experience in the choir, the children and young people can rediscover the importance of mutual understanding, a common purpose, and encounter.
This time of prayer and music with the Pope is the conclusion of a 10-day gathering that connected choristers and educators for the first time through music in the spirit of a global village.
Concrete gestures of fraternity
In a joint press release from the Laudato Si’ Center for Higher Education and the Andrea Bocelli Foundation, Cardinal Fabio Baggio, Director General of the Laudato Si’ Center for Higher Education, explained that the “Canticle of Peace” event showcases how the Borgo remains “a place where faith is translated into concrete gestures of encounter, education, and fraternity.”
In a world marked by growing conflicts and divisions, the Cardinal highlighted how bringing the diverse group of young people together with Pope Leo at a gathering inspired by St. Francis’ Canticle testifies “to the fact that peace is built first and foremost by educating people to encounter, dialogue, and mutual care.”
That is the mission of the Borgo Laudato Si’. It is meant to share the culture of peace to the ends of the earth. A culture that is based on fraternity, care and respect for creation, and the dignity of each person.
In the same press release dated July 27, Andrea Bocelli described the “Canticle of Peace” as stemming from the desire to showcase music through a simple and universal message. That is, peace is created through dialogue, meeting, and listening to others. The presence of the 164 children and young people from around the globe coming together with their own personal struggles and stories is an example of this.
At the end of the prayer event, each national choir delegation will give the Pope a handmade gift from their country, showcasing its cultural identity and expressing the group’s gratitude.
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