Pharrell Williams Calls for Unity at Vatican’s Grace for the World Concert

On the evening of September 13, St. Peter’s Square became a meeting point of ancient sanctity and contemporary art. Tens of thousands gathered in the Vatican for Grace for the World, the concert that closed the third World Meeting on Human Fraternity.

More than 3,000 drones by Nova Sky Stories illuminated the night sky above the basilica. For the first time in Vatican history, the sky was painted with images, leaving the crowd in awed silence. The show opened with a portrait of the late Pope Francis, followed by a monumental dove of peace and Michelangelo’s iconic Pietà gliding majestically above the square. Later came the hands from Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam and the revered image of the Virgin Mary, Salus Populi Romani.

The drone performance was accompanied by a duet of Amazing Grace, performed by world-renowned tenor Andrea Bocelli and American singer Teddy Swims. Their voices, merging with the faint hum of the drones, filled the hushed square with a solemn and celebratory atmosphere.

The Italian night sky became a canvas of peace and unity. The show was co-directed by Andrea Bocelli and American artist Pharrell Williams.

"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.

The evening featured an international line-up of artists. Andrea Bocelli, the headliner, opened the concert with Ave Maria. American performers John Legend and Jennifer Hudson also took the stage, while Colombian singer Karol G performed Mientras me curo el cora and joined Bocelli for Vivo per lei.

Beyond music, the event served as a platform for messages of peace and justice. Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi, Mozambican activist Graça Machel, and Iraqi Nobel laureate Nadia Murad called on the world to end war and violence and to uphold human dignity and fraternity.

The concert concluded the World Meeting on Human Fraternity, which brought together 500 participants. It became a platform for dialogue on global challenges, touching on peace, care for the planet, the impact of technology, and the future of humanity.

In an era marked by polarization, Grace for the World stood as an attempt at unity—where a religious celebration found harmony with music as a universal language.