Vatican Hosts Historic Concert, ‘Grace for the World,’ to Promote Peace and Guide AI Growth
VATICAN CITY – The Vatican held its first-ever large-scale musical event, “Grace for the World,” on Friday, September 13, 2025, bringing together a diverse lineup of global artists to advocate for peace and discuss the ethical development of artificial intelligence. The concert, broadcast live on channels including CNN and ABC News, culminated a summit focused on human fraternity and Pope Francis’ 2020 encyclical, “Brothers All.”
The summit and concert represent a novel effort by the Vatican to engage with contemporary issues-from global conflict to the rapidly evolving landscape of AI-and to leverage the influence of art and technology to promote its message of unity and peace. The event convened thinkers and artists with the stated goal of influencing the development of AI and shaping a more humane future.
Performers included Pharrell Williams, Andrea Bocelli, John Legend, Angélique Kidjo, Bambam, Jennifer Hudson, and, according to El País, a notably well-received set by Colombian reggaeton singer Karol G, whose performance drew eager applause from a large portion of the audience.
Pope Francis addressed the gathering, stating, “The world is marked by conflicts and divisions and you are united with a strong and heroic ‘not’ to war and ‘yes’ to peace and fraternity.” He thanked the artists for using their creativity to spread this message globally from the colonnade of Bernini. Pharrell Williams previously shared on Instagram,”Together,let’s broadcast through music the message of unity and grace for all humanity.”