This morning, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Leo XIV received in audience the organizers and performers of the Christmas Concert in the Vatican, promoted by Missioni Don Bosco and the Gravissimum Educationis Foundation, which is accompanying this initiative.

The following is the greeting addressed by the Pope to those present at the meeting:

Greeting of the Holy Father

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Peace be with you!

Dear brothers and sisters,

I greet you with gratitude on the occasion of the Christmas Concert, a traditional event that for thirty-three years now has celebrated the mystery of the Birth of Jesus through the universal languages of music and entertainment. “Oh night divine”, as we have heard.

I extend a warm welcome to all the artists who will be performing today; I greet the Missioni Don Bosco, which promote the Concert; I thank the organizers, the sponsors and the Gravissimum Educationis Foundation, which is accompanying this initiative.

Tonight we will listen to melodies born in different contexts, linked to different stories, generations and sensibilities. And yet, as happens in the night sky, these lights of sound will compose, in harmony, a common constellation which, as such, is not only a design but a guide.

Music is born from everyday life, accompanying our movements, our memories and our hardships: it is a shared diary that preserves everyone's feelings – nostalgia, desire, expectation, bewilderment, rebirth – recounting our journey with simplicity and, at the same time, in a profound way.

Christmas, after all, reminds us that God chooses a human setting to reveal himself. He does not use impressive scenery, but a simple home; he does not show himself from afar, but draws near; he does not remain in an inaccessible place in heaven, but reaches us in the very heart of our little stories. In this way, he reveals to us that everyday life – just as it is – can become the place where we encounter him.

This Christmas Concert supports a Salesian missionary project in the Republic of Congo: the construction of a primary school capable of accommodating 350 children. This too can make us reflect, reminding us that beauty, when it is authentic, does not remain closed in on itself, but generates choices of responsibility for the care of the world. In this way, culture becomes a breath of dignity for all, especially the most fragile.

I therefore invite you to live this moment as an inner pilgrimage. On the occasion of Christmas, may music be the place of the soul: a space where the heart finds its voice, bringing us closer to God and making our humanity ever more inspired by his love. This is my wish for you, as I invoke the Lord's blessing upon you all.

Enjoy the concert, and Merry Christmas!