Thousands gathered in St. Peter's Square Saturday night for the Grace for the World concert, co-directed by Andrea Bocelli and Pharrell Williams. The show was followed by a spectacular drone show.
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Over 80,000 people attended the Grace for the World concert in the Vatican's St. Peter's Square, which was followed by a spectacular drone show.
The show concluded the World Meeting on Human Fraternity 2025, a two-day gathering that brought together people from around the globe to reflect on humanity in an age defined by social and environmental challenges, as well as rapid technological progress.
The concert lineup included American singer Pharrell Williams with the gospel choir Voices of Fire, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and other international artists such as John Legend, Jennifer Hudson and Karol G.
"I want to sincerely thank His Holiness Pope Leo [XIV] for opening the doors to this sacred place to us all, and reminding us that true compassion and grace begin with fraternity, seeing one another as brothers and sisters, and fellow human beings," Pharrell Williams, who co-directed the show with Andrea Bocelli, said during the historic concert's opening remarks.
"This is an opportunity for people to galvanise, and recognise their strength in numbers. We still haven't done that as a species, we still haven't asked ourselves for the sake of humanity, far beyond the reaches and constrictions of different religions, can we just hold hands for a moment and see the light that we have," he concluded his powerful message about unity.
Following the concert, over 3,000 drones lit up above the Sistine Chapel, an impressive light display breaking centuries of tradition.
The drones - which were operated by Nova Sky Stories, owned by Elon Musk's brother Kimbal Musk - drew images of the late-Pope Francis, the face of Virgin Mary, doves, and the Michelangelo's creation of Adam against the backdrop of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica.
On Friday, administrators, entrepreneurs, economists, academics, social workers, students, athletes and spiritual guides came together at fifteen thematic roundtables to exchange good practices, share experiences and propose concrete actions.
The outcomes of the workshop were presented on Saturday during the Human Assembly, described as "a symbolic and operational stage that launches an international synodal process aimed at measuring, defining and promoting fraternity in real life."
The concert's closed the conference, reaffirming the central role of fraternity as a universal value. In an age marked by division and polarisation, the evening sought to bridge worlds, uniting religious celebration with the universal language of music.
