Pope encourages artists to build peace and hope through art

By Lisa Zengarini

Pope Francis on Saturday received in audience the artists who will perform this evening in the 32nd Christmas Concert in the Vatican.

The event has been organized every year since 1993 for charitable purposes bringing together internationally renowned musicians from across the world.

Also present in this year's concert are the winners from this year's Christmas Contest organized by the Pontifical Foundation Gravissimum Educationis which invited young artists to compete for a chance to perform at the Christmas Concert.

The proceeds of the performance will go this year  to support the Salesian Missions.

Music's  extraordinary ability to create unity 

Thanking the artists and the organizers of the event, Pope Francis reflected on peace and hope,  the underpinning themes of the concert,  to which, he said, artists “have much to offer” through their creativity and artistry.

Recalling the biblical image of Jesus' birth in a "silent night"  when angels proclaimed peace to the world, the Pope highlighted the profound role of music and art as universal languages that can touch the human heart, create unity, and foster communion. “Music speaks directly to the human heart in a unique way, “ he said.

Be “angels of peace”

He therefore encouraged artists to act as “angels of peace”, investing their talents and artistry in promoting that “culture of fraternity and reconciliation our world today needs more than ever.”

Pope Francis then focused on hope, which is the  central theme chosen for this year’s concert in line with the theme of the upcoming Jubilee Year.

Hope if a gift of God

He reminded the audience that hope “is first and foremost a gift from God”, rooted in faith and sustained by acts of charity. While hope must grow from communion with the Lord, the Pope said, it also requires tangible expressions of love “thus filling the present with meaning and opening up new horizons towards the future.”  

Building hope with young people for a better world

Bringing these two themes together, Pope Francis described peace and hope as the “two vocal lines” of a song that artists are invited to make heard throughout the globe ”so that future generations can inherit a better and more peaceful world.” In this regard, he noted that the presence on stage  of the selected participants  in the Christmas Contest “is the sign of a wholesome and healthy covenant between generations.”

Pope Francis concluded his address by remarking  that bothe the the Church and the world need artists’  talents, creative ideals, generosity and “passion for justice and fraternity.”