Overview

• St. Peter’s Square hosted a free, widely broadcast show co-directed by Andrea Bocelli and Pharrell Williams to conclude the third World Meeting on Human Fraternity.
• Roughly 3,500 synchronized drones drew Pope Francis’s face and Sistine Chapel–inspired images over the basilica during the program.
• Performers included Karol G, John Legend, Jennifer Hudson, Angélique Kidjo and BamBam, with Bocelli opening with sacred repertoire and later duetting with Karol G.
• Vatican officials said the event advanced the fraternity message of Fratelli Tutti during the Jubilee Year, as Cardinal Mauro Gambetti opened with appeals for peace alongside voices like Graça Machel and Kailash Satyarthi.
• Pope León XIV did not attend but sent a message urging a firm no to war; the scale and style of the show drew large crowds and some criticism from conservative Catholic commentators.