“This is the greatest moment of my life and my career,” Michael Bublé told the crowd, calling the evening “a beautiful night that brings hope and celebrates humanity.”
Around 8,000 people filled the venue, including nearly 3,000 disadvantaged guests invited through charitable outreach. They had gathered for the Vatican’s sixth annual Concert with the Poor, an event first envisioned by Pope Francis a decade ago to place society’s most vulnerable at the heart of a Christmas celebration.
Before singing his next song, Bublé asked for a favor. He didn’t want to sing alone.
Echoing Pope Leo XIV’s call for people to remain “strong together,” Bublé launched into the jazz classic “L-O-V-E.” What followed was a moment of pure unity. The entire hall—pope included—joined in. In now-viral videos, Pope Leo can be seen clapping, smiling, and happily singing along to the opening line, perfectly on beat.
It was a rare and joyful image: a pontiff not merely performing for the people, but standing among them in shared song.
Bublé then shifted the mood with a reverent rendition of “Ave Maria.” He later revealed at a press conference that it was the only song Pope Leo personally requested for the evening. The choice carried deep meaning—“Ave Maria” had been a favorite of the pope’s late mother, Mildred, a gifted contralto known for her powerful voice.
Admitting he had sung Schubert’s Ave Maria only once before, Bublé confessed he was nervous performing it live for the pope. But supported by a 200-voice choir and full orchestra, he delivered a soaring, deeply moving performance that earned a quiet, grateful nod from Leo XIV.
As the final notes faded, the pope’s eyes glistened—perhaps recalling his mother’s voice. “I realized in that moment there was no fear,” Bublé later reflected. “There was only joy.”
The unforgettable evening continued a tradition Pope Francis began in 2015: offering those in need “something they are never given—something beautiful” during the Christmas season.
After Bublé’s final number, Pope Leo XIV took the microphone to share his own reflection. Music, he said, is a universal language that connects human struggle with the divine
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“Tonight, music was like a bridge that leads us to God,” the pope said, noting its power to express the deepest movements of the soul and lift hearts even in difficult times. And, he reminded the crowd, Christmas itself is meant to be sung.
“After all,” Leo added with a smile, “the Gospel tells us that when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, there was a great concert of angels in heaven.”