Pope Leo XIV Dedicates Christmas Concert to Children without "necessities of human dignity, and without peace" - "May the Lord...hear the silent cry of these little ones" FULL TEXT
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Pope Leo XIV attended the annual Sistine Chapel Christmas concert and expressed his gratitude to Maestro Director Monsignor Marcos Pavan and to Michele Marinelli, Maestro of the Pueri Cantores - the white voices - as well as to the entire Choir, whose nearly 1,500-year history continues in service of the liturgy of the Roman Pontiff.
FULL TEXT GREETING OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV
TO THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE SISTINE CHAPEL'S CHRISTMAS CONCERT
in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel on Saturday, January 3, 2026
_________________________________
Your Eminences, Your Excellencies,
Distinguished Authorities,
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
I would like to thank the Sistine Chapel Choir , which in this concert led us to meditate on the mystery of Christmas through the language of music and song, a language capable of speaking not only to the mind but also to the heart. I congratulate the Conductor, Monsignor Marcos Pavan, and the Maestro dei Pueri , Michele Marinelli.
There is no Christmas without carols. Everywhere in the world, in every language and nation, the event of Bethlehem is celebrated with music and song. And it could not be otherwise, since the Gospel itself recounts that, when the Virgin Mary gave birth to the Savior, the angels in heaven sang "Glory to God and peace on earth" (cf. Luke 2:13-14).
Who were the spectators and witnesses of that first "Christmas concert"? They were—we know—some shepherds from Bethlehem, who, after seeing the Child in the manger, with Mary and Joseph, returned praising and thanking God (see Luke 2:20). And I like to think that they also did so by singing and perhaps playing a rudimentary flute.
But there is another place where heavenly music resounded on that holy night. A silent, recollected, and deeply sensitive place: I am speaking, of course, of the heart of Mary, the woman chosen by God to be the Mother of the Incarnate Word. Let us learn from her to listen in silence to the Lord's voice, to faithfully follow the part He entrusts to us in the score of life.
Dearest ones, I would like to dedicate this Concert to the children who, in so many parts of the world, experienced this Christmas without lights, without music, without even the necessities of human dignity, and without peace. May the Lord, to whom we have chosen to raise our songs of praise this evening, hear the silent cry of these little ones, and grant the world, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, justice and peace.
Thanks again to the Sistine Chapel and best wishes for a Happy New Year to all of you!
[Applause]
I dare to invite all of us to sing the Pater Noster in this beautiful Sistine Chapel.
[Song and blessing]
Best wishes to everyone!
TO THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE SISTINE CHAPEL'S CHRISTMAS CONCERT
in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel on Saturday, January 3, 2026
_________________________________
Your Eminences, Your Excellencies,
Distinguished Authorities,
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
I would like to thank the Sistine Chapel Choir , which in this concert led us to meditate on the mystery of Christmas through the language of music and song, a language capable of speaking not only to the mind but also to the heart. I congratulate the Conductor, Monsignor Marcos Pavan, and the Maestro dei Pueri , Michele Marinelli.
There is no Christmas without carols. Everywhere in the world, in every language and nation, the event of Bethlehem is celebrated with music and song. And it could not be otherwise, since the Gospel itself recounts that, when the Virgin Mary gave birth to the Savior, the angels in heaven sang "Glory to God and peace on earth" (cf. Luke 2:13-14).
Who were the spectators and witnesses of that first "Christmas concert"? They were—we know—some shepherds from Bethlehem, who, after seeing the Child in the manger, with Mary and Joseph, returned praising and thanking God (see Luke 2:20). And I like to think that they also did so by singing and perhaps playing a rudimentary flute.
But there is another place where heavenly music resounded on that holy night. A silent, recollected, and deeply sensitive place: I am speaking, of course, of the heart of Mary, the woman chosen by God to be the Mother of the Incarnate Word. Let us learn from her to listen in silence to the Lord's voice, to faithfully follow the part He entrusts to us in the score of life.
Dearest ones, I would like to dedicate this Concert to the children who, in so many parts of the world, experienced this Christmas without lights, without music, without even the necessities of human dignity, and without peace. May the Lord, to whom we have chosen to raise our songs of praise this evening, hear the silent cry of these little ones, and grant the world, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, justice and peace.
Thanks again to the Sistine Chapel and best wishes for a Happy New Year to all of you!
[Applause]
I dare to invite all of us to sing the Pater Noster in this beautiful Sistine Chapel.
[Song and blessing]
Best wishes to everyone!
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