Borgo Laudato si’ will host a moment of prayer promoted by the Laudato si’ Center For Higher Education and the Andrea Bocelli Foundation. Together with the Holy Father, an international choir of 164 children and young people from five crisis-affected areas around the world will come together, united through music as a universal language of peace.

On 29 July, Borgo Laudato si’ will provide the setting for “Canticle of Peace”, a moment of prayer and fraternity promoted by the Laudato Si’ Center for Higher Education and the Andrea Bocelli Foundation, as part of the celebrations marking the eighth centenary of the heavenly birth of Saint Francis of Assisi.

The event will be attended by His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, who will lead a moment of reflection and prayer, invoking the gift of peace for the world and drawing inspiration from the universal message of the Canticle of the Creatures.

The gathering will also include employees of the Dicasteries of the Holy See, the Governorate of Vatican City State, and the offices of the Roman Curia. The “Pope’s team” is invited to experience a moment of fraternity and participation, reflecting the Church’s mission in service of peace among peoples.

One of the most significant moments of the celebration will be entrusted to music. The prayer service will be accompanied by the voice of Maestro Andrea Bocelli and the ABF Voices Of Choir, made up of 164 children and young people from the Holy Land, Uganda, Haiti, and Italy (Rione Sanitá and Camerino). These young singers bring with them diverse life stories, often marked by war, poverty, or hardship, yet through their voices they bear witness to the power of art as a universal language of dialogue, hope, and reconciliation.

Through their choral experience, these young talents rediscover the value of encounter, mutual understanding, and shared purpose. Their choral prayer with His Holiness will mark the culmination of a 10-day gathering, during which choristers and educators came together for the very first time, united by music in the spirit of a global village.

“With ‘Canticle of Peace’, Borgo Laudato si’ continues to be a place where faith is translated into concrete gestures of encounter, education, and fraternity,” said His Eminence Cardinal Fabio Baggio, Director General of the Laudato si’ Center for Higher Education. “At a time marked by increasing conflicts and divisions, bringing together children and young people from such diverse backgrounds around the Holy Father and inspired by Saint Francis’ Canticle means bearing witness to the fact that peace is built first and foremost by educating people to encounter, dialogue, and mutual care. This is the vocation of Borgo Laudato Si’: to help spread a culture of peace founded on human fraternity, respect for creation, and the dignity of every person rooted in our faith.”

Sharing the same commitment to peace and fraternity Maestro Andrea Bocelli highlights that: “‘Canticle of Peace’ was born from the desire to highlight music with a simple and universal message: peace is built through encounter and through the ability to listen to the voice of others. The children and young people taking part in this moment bring with them different stories, cultures, and life experiences, yet through singing they find a shared language capable of creating unity and closeness. Their presence reminds us that even from the most difficult experiences a desire for hope, sharing, and fraternity can emerge.”

At the conclusion of the celebration, each national choir delegation will present His Holiness with a hand made gift from their country of origin, as a tribute to its cultural identity and as an expression of profound gratitude.

At the conclusion of the celebration, in the spirit of welcome that characterizes Borgo Laudato si’, all guests will be invited to take part in a shared reception, offering an opportunity for encounter and dialogue.

The initiative forms part of the mission of Borgo Laudato si’ as a space dedicated to education in integral ecology and the promotion of human dignity, rooted in faith.