Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli performs before Pope Leo XIV during a concert at Borgo Laudato Si in Castel Gandolfo on July 29, 2026. The event brought together a 164-member international youth choir from five crisis-affected regions. Isabella BONOTTO / AFP via Getty Images
Andrea Bocelli performed alongside an international youth choir for Pope Leo XIV during the Vatican’s “Canticle of Peace,” a prayer and fraternity gathering held Wednesday evening, July 29, at Borgo Laudato si’ in Castel Gandolfo.
The event brought together 164 children and young people through the Andrea Bocelli Foundation’s ABF Voices program. The singers represented communities in the Holy Land, Uganda and Italy, including young participants whose lives have been shaped by conflict, poverty or limited access to education. Organizers said members associated with the program in Haiti were unable to travel because of continuing instability there.
Bocelli sang the Latin hymn “Panis Angelicus” for the pope before joining the choir for “Amazing Grace,” the closing song of the evening, according to OSV News. The program also included music centered on peace and cooperation.
Pope Leo addressed the young singers after the performance, reflecting on music’s capacity to create something greater than any one performer could produce alone.
“The beauty of music invites us to encounter the one who is beauty itself,” the pope said.
He told the choir that singing together had drawn the audience into “an experience of something new,” describing the shared result as an experience of beauty. He also encouraged the young performers to continue cultivating their gifts and allowing those gifts to lead them toward God.
The gathering took place in the gardens of Borgo Laudato si’, near the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo. It was organized by the Laudato si’ Higher Education Centre and the Andrea Bocelli Foundation.
“Canticle of Peace” formed part of observances marking the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi. The evening included readings and reflections connected with faith, creation and peace, placing the musical performances within a broader devotional program.
According to Religion News Service, the pope told the children that he was praying for them, their families and their countries, as well as for peace in homes and in places that continue to suffer from violence.
The event was presented by Vatican organizers as a prayer and fraternity meeting rather than a commercial concert. Its focus remained on the choir’s collective witness and the possibility of music serving as a language of dialogue, reconciliation and hope.
Vatican News carried official streaming coverage through its website and YouTube channel.
This article first appeared on Music Times and was syndicated with permission.
