During the concert held this Saturday, July 18, at the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo XIV recalled his recent apostolic journey to Spain to remind that one of its objectives was to invite the faithful to “lift their gaze toward heaven.” In that context, the Pontiff stated that beauty, art, and music help man turn toward God and discover that, even in a world marked by wars, conflicts, and violence, “there is something more than all this.”
The evening was organized by the Diocese of Albano as a sign of closeness to the Holy Father during his summer stay. At the end of the recital, Leo XIV thanked the initiative and highlighted the value of beauty in a society crossed by numerous problems.
“In Spain I wanted to invite people to lift their gaze toward heaven”
The Pope recalled the trip he made to Spain last June and linked the message of that visit with the experience of the concert held in Castel Gandolfo.
“A little over a month ago I was in Spain and one of the objectives of that journey was to invite everyone to lift their gaze toward heaven,” he noted.
Leo XIV explained that music, art, and beauty allow man to elevate the spirit and orient his life toward God.
“Music, art, and beauty are an instrument that helps us look, with that movement toward God, at one of the best parts of the human being,” he stated.
“There is something more than wars, conflicts, and hatred”
The Pontiff lamented that the current world is marked by wars, violence, hatred, and social difficulties, but pointed out that gatherings like the one held at the Apostolic Palace allow us to remember that reality is not reduced to those problems.
“We live in a world where beauty is lacking. There are so many problems, wars, conflicts, hatred, violence, lack of work, and many other things,” he expressed.
For this reason, he considered that the possibility of gathering to listen to music constituted “a great gift,” because it allows us to recognize that “there is something more than all this.”
The Pope added that beauty, transmitted “from heart to heart,” helps people “to see and to lift their gaze toward heaven.”
The beauty of God’s creation
Leo XIV especially thanked the performers for a performance that, he confessed, had moved him. The Holy Father stated that those minutes of music had allowed him to experience “the beauty that God wished to place in creation.”
The concert brought together violinist Marco Rogliano and pianist Rossana Tomassi Golkar, accompanied by the orchestra I Musici di Parma, under the direction of Pier Carlo Orizio. The program included works linked to the Italian composers Niccolò Paganini and Vincenzo Bellini.
A gesture from the Diocese of Albano
The evening was promoted by the Diocese of Albano as a sign of affection toward the Pontiff during his stay in Castel Gandolfo. At the beginning of the concert, the diocesan bishop, Monsignor Vincenzo Viva, expressed the gratitude of the local Church for the Pope’s presence in the town.
The prelate also recalled the women and mothers who suffer the consequences of armed conflicts, joining the repeated appeals of Leo XIV in favor of peace.
At the end of the event, the Pope personally greeted the musicians and the attendees before leaving the courtyard of the Apostolic Palace.