For the 164 young choristers of the ABF Voices project of the Andrea Bocelli Foundation it will be the last and most intense stage of a ten-day journey in Italy.
Coming from the Holy Land, Uganda, Haiti and Italy (Rione Sanità and Camerino) will perform at the “Canticle of Peace” event on July 29th at Borgo Laudato si’: a meeting of prayer and brotherhood promoted by the Laudato si’ Higher Education Center and the Andrea Bocelli Foundation, a philanthropic body, as part of the celebrations for the eighth centenary of the transit of Saint Francis of Assisi.
The initiative intends to pay homage to the spiritual legacy of the Poverello di Assisi, who is his own In the Song of the Creatures he delivered to the world a vision of universal brotherhood, reconciliation and praise to the Creator. 800 years after his death, that message continues to speak with extraordinary relevance to a world wounded by wars, divisions and humanitarian crises, reminding us that peace comes from recognizing ourselves as brothers, from protecting creation and from taking care of each other.
His Holiness will lead this moment of communion and prayer Pope Leo XIV, who will raise a prayer with the participants to invoke the gift of peace in the worlddrawing inspiration from the universal message of Song of the Creatures.
The meeting will be attended by employees of the Dicasteries of the Holy See, of the Governorate of the Vatican City State and of the Offices of the Roman Curia.
One of the most significant moments of the celebration will be entrusted to music. The prayer will be accompanied by the voice of Maestro Andrea Bocelli and the ABF Voices choir. Boys who bring with them different stories, often marked by war, poverty or suffering, but who through song, they testify how art can become a universal language of dialogue, hope and reconciliation.
Through the choral experience, these young talents rediscover the value of meeting, mutual understanding and sharing a common goal. The choral prayer with His Holiness will mark the culmination of a ten-day meeting, during which choristers and educators came together for the first time, united by music in the spirit of a global village.
“With Cantico di Pace, Borgo Laudato si’ continues to be a place where faith translates into concrete gestures of encounter, education and brotherhood”, states His Excellency. Cardinal Fabio BaggioGeneral Director of the Laudato si’ Higher Education Center. «Celebrating the eighth centenary of the birth of Saint Francis in Heaven means allowing ourselves to be questioned once again by the prophetic power of his message. Today more than ever, in a time marked by conflicts and divisions, the Song of the Creatures reminds us that everything is connected and that peace is built by educating about encounter, dialogue, care for creation and the dignity of every person. This is the vocation of Borgo Laudato Si’: to contribute to spreading a culture of peace based on human brotherhood and integral ecology rooted in our faith.”
Sharing the same commitment to peace and brotherhood, M° Andrea Bocelli underlines: «Canticle of Peace was born from the desire to entrust a simple and universal message to music: peace is built through encounters and the ability to listen to each other’s voices. The children and young people protagonists of this moment bring with them different stories, cultures and experiences, but in singing they discover a common language capable of creating closeness and hope. Their presence reminds us that even from the most difficult situations reconciliation, sharing and brotherhood can arise.”
At the end of the celebration, each choir/country delegation will donate an artefact from their country to the Holy Father, in the desire to enhance its identity and demonstrate profound gratitude. In the spirit of hospitality that characterizes Borgo Laudato si’, all guests will be welcomed for a convivial moment with shared refreshments, an opportunity for dialogue, meeting and fraternity.
The initiative is part of the path of Borgo Laudato si’ as a place dedicated to training in integral ecology, where the care of creation, the promotion of human dignity and the commitment to peace constitute a single mission rooted in faith. In memory of Saint Francis of Assisi, eight hundred years after his death, Song of Peace it wants to be more than a celebration: an invitation addressed to everyone to rediscover themselves as brothers and sisters, guardians of the same common home and protagonists of a peace that is born in hearts, is built in relationships and spreads throughout the world through small daily gestures of love, dialogue and hope.
