Pope: Concert with the Poor shows true meaning of Christian message

By Lisa Zengarini

Some 3,000 poor people, homeless people and migrants living in Rome are gathering in the Paul VI Hall on Friday afternoon to attend a special Christmas concert.

They have been invited as “guests of honour” of the fourth edition of the “Concert with the Poor and for the Poor”, through the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Service of Charity.

The event, first launched in 2015 to raise money for Pope Francis' charities, includes a dinner and the distribution of necessary items. 

On Friday morning the Pope received the organizers, including the conductors  Msgr. Marco Frisina and Speranza Scappucci, to thank them.

A moment of sharing and fraternity

“I thank you because, by involving so many people, you manage to offer a free concert to thousands of poor people, and with your music, you offer a moment of meeting and sharing, and then a meal and blanket, in  other words: fraternity”, he said, noting this “is very consistent with the message of Christmas.”

"For" and  "with" the poor

The Pope remarked that the concert is not only “for” the poor, but, most importantly “with”  the poor, where “with” is the keyword and has a special Christian relevance where we can find the true meaning of the Christian message. Indeed, he explained God came “for” us, by living “with“us,  thus becoming like us.  

“This mystery always leaves us speechless. Yet,” Pope Francis remarked, “we can experience it in the encounter with someone other than me: when my giving something for him or her becomes receiving, sharing, friendship.”

Pope Francis therefore invited those present to pray for this to happen, for he said,  “Music is not enough, lights, decorations are not enough, we need prayer.”

The programme

The “Concert with the Poor and for the Poor” is organized by Opera Nova Onlus and the choir of the Diocese of Rome, with sponsorship from the Governorate of the Vatican City State along with the Dicastery for the Service of Charity.

Conductor, Speranza Scappucci, and Msgr. Frisina will alternate in conducting the Orchestra and Choir of Rome's Opera Theatre. 

As in previous years, the 200-member choir of the Diocese of Rome will be positioned behind the orchestra to provide vocals for the various pieces performed.

Soprano Maria Grazia Schiavo – a Baroque and Bel Canto specialist – and South African tenor Levy Sekgapane will sing the solo arias.

The programme includes a selection of excerpts from masterpieces by Mozart, Rossini, Tchaikovsky, and Beethoven. Together with the selected works of sacred music, the programme also features several popular holiday favourites like “Silent Night” to celebrate the Christmas season. 

Free-will donations taken at the concert's end will benefit Pope Francis' charitable projects.