(Vatican Radio) A special concert was held Monday evening for Pope Benedict XVI and
Italian President Giorgio Napolitano in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall.
The Orchestra
of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, conducted by Maestro Zubin Mehta, performed
Beethoven's Third Symphony and "La forza del Destino" by Giuseppe Verdi. The concert
was organised by the Italian Embassy to the Holy See in honour of President Napolitano
as he concludes his seven-year term of office, and the Holy Father, to celebrate the
84th anniversary of the Lateran Pacts. Proceeds from the concert will go to the Flying
angels Foundation, an NGO chaired by the Ambassador of Italy to the Holy See which
provides free airline tickets for disadvantaged children in need of specialized care.
Concluding
the concert with an address, the Holy Father spoke on the religious themes contained
within these musical pieces. He notes how the piece by Verdi represents the “drama
of human existence, marked by a tragic fate and a longing for God, his mercy, and
his love, offering light, meaning, and hope even in the darkness.” Pope Benedict continued:
“This is the strength of the Christian, who comes from the death and resurrection
of Christ, by the act of a supreme God who entered into human history not only with
his words, but through his Incarnation.”