Pope Leo XIV Tells Artists "Sing and play...with your heart, because music can truly represent a form of love...that leads to God" FULL TEXT

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV
TO THE ORGANIZERS AND ARTISTS OF THE
"CONCERT WITH THE POOR"
(Vatican Media image of Singer Michael Buble and wife Actress Luisana Loreley Lopilato de la Torre Bublé)
Clementine Hall
Friday, December 5, 2025
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In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Peace be with you!

Welcome and thank you for your patience. I am pleased to meet you today, on the eve of the sixth edition of the Concert with the Poor . Pope Francis 's happy intuition is becoming a beautiful tradition, part of the preparation for Holy Christmas, in which we celebrate the Lord Jesus Christ who draws near and becomes poor for us (cf. 2 Cor 8:9).

The mystery of the Incarnation of the divine Word is the revelation of the love that God the Father has for each of us. As Pope Benedict XVI wrote in his first Encyclical , published on Christmas Day, "this action of God now takes on its dramatic form in the fact that, in Jesus Christ, God himself pursues the 'lost sheep,' suffering and lost humanity." [1] God who becomes a child, who entrusts himself to the care of human parents, who offers himself for each of us is the icon of the divine love that comes to save us.

How beautiful it is to be able to say with our hearts and minds: God is charity, he is love! (cf. 1 John 4:16). By looking to Him, we can learn to love as He loved us; we can discover that the commandment of love responds to our most authentic needs, because it is when we love that we truly realize ourselves.

The Concert with the Poor , then, is not just a performance by talented artists or a simple musical festival, however beautiful it may be, nor even a moment of solidarity to ease our consciences in the face of society's injustices. I would like us, by participating in this event, to remember the Lord's words: "Whatever you did to one of the least of these my brethren, you did to me" ( Mt 25:40). It is so! If we concretely love those who are hungry and thirsty, the naked, the sick, the stranger, the prisoner, we are loving the Lord. This is the Gospel: "We are not on the horizon of charity, but of Revelation: contact with those without power and greatness is an immediate path to an encounter with the Lord of history. In the poor he still has something to say to us" (Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi te , 5). It reminds us that the dignity of men and women is not measured by what they possess: we are not our possessions and our things, but rather God's beloved children; And this same love must be the hallmark of our actions towards others. For this reason, in our Concert, our most vulnerable brothers and sisters occupy the front seats.

Music has always played an important role in the Christian experience. In the liturgy, in particular, singing is never a "soundtrack," a simple background, but is intended to elevate the soul and bring it as close as possible to the mystery being celebrated. [2] Saint Augustine, speaking specifically of singing in prayer, wrote in his Commentary on the Psalms: "You must sing to Him, but not out of tune. He does not want His ears to be offended. Sing with art, my brothers." [3] How important are the care, the commitment, the art and, finally, the harmony that derives from them in music: it is truly a precious gift that God has given to all humanity.

Allow me, then, brothers and sisters, a joke: please, sing well tomorrow! Sing and play with art and, above all, with your heart, because music can truly represent a form of love, a via pulchritudinis that leads to God, since "beauty is a gift from God for all human beings, united by the same dignity and called to fraternity." [4]

Finally, I would like to thank all those who are working tirelessly to make the Concert a success, in particular Cardinal Vicar Baldo Reina, Msgr. Marco Frisina, along with the Choir of the Diocese of Rome, the Orchestra and the Nova Opera Foundation, the actress Serena Autieri, Michael Bublé and his Band , and each of the artists, not to mention all the partners whose generous support makes the event possible.

In giving you my blessing, I entrust you to the maternal intercession of Mary Most Holy Immaculate, door of Advent and woman of hope, and I invoke upon all of you the protection of Saint Cecilia, patron saint of musicians.

May the Lord continue to bless your commitment and this beautiful work! Thank you!

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[1] Benedict XVI , Encyclical Letter. Deus caritas est (25 December 2005), 12.

[2] Cfr Id., Blessing of the new organ of the Alte Kapelle , Regensburg (13 September 2006).

[3] S. Augustine, Enarrationes in Psalmos , Psalm 32, II, 1, 8: CCL 38, 253.

[4] Francis , Greeting to the promoters and artists of the Concert with the Poor (7 December 2024).