Music, spirituality and a global call for peace came together at Castel Gandolfo as young singers from communities touched by conflict, poverty and hardship joined one extraordinary chorus.
Music became a bridge between cultures, generations and life experiences as Pope Leo XIV, Andrea Bocelli and 164 children and young people gathered for “Canticle of Peace” at Borgo Laudato si’ in the Pontifical Gardens of Castel Gandolfo.
Held July 29, the prayer and fellowship gathering brought together members of ABF Voices, an educational initiative of the Andrea Bocelli Foundation, for an evening built around music, spirituality, human dignity and the hope for peace. The young singers represented communities including the Holy Land, Uganda, Haiti and Italy, with many coming from environments affected by war, poverty and other significant challenges.
The gathering was organized by the Laudato si’ Higher Education Center in partnership with the Andrea Bocelli Foundation and formed part of commemorations surrounding the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi. Banvelca Foundation and the Herrera Velutini family also supported the initiative.
When Different Voices Become One
At the heart of the program was a simple but resonant idea: harmony does not require everyone to sound the same.
Reflecting on the young singers, Pope Leo XIV described the choir as a symbol of cooperation and harmony. He encouraged the participants to recognize both the individuality of their voices and the greater beauty created when those voices work together.
The Pontiff also offered a message aimed directly at the young people:
“Remember that you were made for great things, and that the whole world is not enough to satisfy your thirst for meaning and happiness.”
His reflection eventually turned toward those living amid violence, with Pope Leo praying for peace in communities and nations still experiencing conflict.
Andrea Bocelli and the Language of Music
For Andrea Bocelli, founder of the Andrea Bocelli Foundation, the gathering demonstrated music’s ability to make people with dramatically different stories feel less distant from one another.
The celebrated tenor performed alongside the young singers during a program exploring themes including creation, harmony among peoples, human dignity, faith and unity. Musical selections included Panis Angelicus, Dolce sentire and Gaelic Blessing.
Bocelli described every participating voice as carrying its own history, heritage and hope, while emphasizing that music does not need to eliminate differences in order to create harmony.
That idea gave “Canticle of Peace” much of its emotional weight. The gathering was not simply a performance by a celebrated tenor accompanied by a youth choir. It offered the young participants an opportunity to be heard collectively while retaining the identities and experiences each brought with them.
Culture, Philanthropy and Common Ground
The event also highlighted the role philanthropy can play in creating opportunities for cultural and educational exchange.
Banvelca Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Herrera Velutini family, supported the initiative as part of its work involving cultural sponsorship, heritage preservation and social and educational programs.
Banvelca Foundation President Melanie Herrera Velutini said programs bringing together young people shaped by vastly different circumstances demonstrate culture’s potential to establish common ground.
For the members of ABF Voices, the papal encounter represented the culmination of a 10-day experience of formation, friendship and fellowship through singing.
164 Voices, One Closing Song
The evening concluded with the Lord’s Prayer, an exchange of the sign of peace and the Apostolic Blessing.
Then came one final musical moment.
Andrea Bocelli and the choir performed “Amazing Grace,” bringing 164 young voices together before Pope Leo XIV beneath the trees of Castel Gandolfo. The participants later presented the Pontiff with gifts representing their respective homelands.
In a world where cultural, political and geographical divisions can become deafening, “Canticle of Peace” offered a quieter counterpoint: people do not have to surrender what makes them different to create something together.
Sometimes harmony begins by simply listening to the next voice.