Pope Leo XIV will welcome children and young people from some of the world’s most troubled regions to the Vatican on July 29 for a special prayer gathering centered on peace, faith, and the unifying power of music.
According to Vatican News, the event, titled “Canticle of Peace,” will take place at Borgo Laudato Si’ and is being organized by the Laudato Si’ Center for Higher Education in partnership with the Andrea Bocelli Foundation. The gathering is part of the Church’s commemoration marking the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi.
During the event, Pope Leo XIV will lead a time of prayer and reflection for peace, drawing inspiration from St. Francis’ Canticle of the Creatures. Music will play a central role as an international choir of 164 children and young people joins renowned tenor Andrea Bocelli and the ABF Voices of Choir in a shared expression of hope.
According to Vatican News, the young singers will come from the Holy Land, Uganda, Haiti, and Italy. Many of the participants have experienced the hardships of war, poverty, or other significant challenges. By gathering together in one choir, they offer a visible witness that music can transcend language and culture while fostering reconciliation and mutual understanding.
The prayer service concludes a ten-day international program that brought together choristers and educators for the first time through music. The initiative was designed to encourage encounter, collaboration, and friendship among young people from different backgrounds while reflecting the vision of a global human family.
Cardinal Fabio Baggio, Director General of the Laudato Si’ Center for Higher Education, said the event demonstrates that Borgo Laudato Si’ remains “a place where faith is translated into concrete gestures of encounter, education, and fraternity,” according to a joint press release cited by Vatican News.
Reflecting on today’s global tensions, Cardinal Baggio emphasized that gathering these young people with the Holy Father is a reminder “that peace is built first and foremost by educating people to encounter, dialogue, and mutual care.” He added that this mission reflects the purpose of Borgo Laudato Si’, which seeks to promote a culture of fraternity, respect for creation, and the dignity of every human person.
Andrea Bocelli also reflected on the purpose of the gathering, explaining in the same press release, according to Vatican News, that the “Canticle of Peace” was born from the desire to communicate a simple yet universal message: peace grows through dialogue, encounter, and listening to one another. The participation of children from countries facing hardship, he noted, offers a powerful example of that message in action.
At the conclusion of the prayer service, each national delegation will present Pope Leo XIV with a handmade gift representing its country’s cultural heritage as a sign of gratitude and friendship.
As the Church continues to pray for peace in a world marked by conflict, the gathering offers a hopeful witness that even amid suffering, young people united in faith and song can become ambassadors of reconciliation and hope.
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