Attending school Christmas concert, pope thanks children for sharing love

CASTEL GANDOLFO (CNS) — At the end of his one day off each week, Pope Leo XIV went to the local school in Castel Gandolfo and joined hundreds of excited parents in watching the children’s Christmas concert.

After 45 minutes of songs in Italian, Latin, English and Spanish, Pope Leo thanked the children and their teachers for “the invitation that mysteriously arrived at my house, but maybe even more mysterious was the response when you learned I had decided to come.”

Shortly after the pope arrived Dec. 16 and school staff convinced the parents to sit down, more than 200 students, from the oldest to the youngest, filed on to risers on the stage in the gym wearing white sweatshirts and dark trousers.

The children all begin studying English in primary school, and the first piece they sang in English was a rousing “Joy to the World.” They also sang “The Little Drummer Boy” with drumming hand motions.

At the end of the concert, before leading the children in the Lord’s Prayer — which one class did in Italian sign language as well — Pope Leo spoke about the first song, a modern Italian carol, that recounted the angels singing the news of Jesus’ birth.

“The most beautiful words were about ‘angels who bring love,’ and you are the ones who brought love to all of us this evening,” the pope told the children.

St. Augustine once said, “One who loves, sings,” he told them.

“This is Christmas — God who wanted to draw near to us, especially to the smallest,” the pope said, expressing his hope that “we can feel and live this love” all year long.

Pope Leo also thanked the children for singing in several languages, showing that Christmas fills the hearts of believers everywhere with joy and peace.

He also quoted a well-known Italian song that says, “At Christmas you can do more.”

“It’s an invitation to all of us,” the pope said. “Let’s do more to proclaim peace, love and unity in the world.”

The town’s school, the Pontifical Paul VI School, includes a primary and secondary school. St. Paul VI gave the school to the town in 1968 on donated land near the papal summer villa.

The youngsters sang modern Italian Christmas songs as well as religious Christmas carols in a concert broadcast live on the school’s Facebook page, which struggled to stream.

In between comments about the video freezing, many grandparents posted notes. One wrote, “Grandma is touched — you are the future, the hope,” followed by three hearts. Another wrote, “Carlotta, you are great; grandma and grandpa are watching.”

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