Borgo Laudato si' is an educational project within the Pontifical Villas at Castel Gandolfo. It was the venue for Canticle of Peace on July 29, 2026, when 164 children and young people sang with Andrea Bocelli before Pope Leo XIV. The event took place in the piazzale of the Padiglione del Riposo, according to the Vatican text of the Pope's address. The name of the Borgo refers to Pope Francis's 2015 encyclical "Laudato si'," which asks readers to connect care for the environment with concern for people. Understanding the venue helps explain why a youth choir, a prayer for peace and words about creation shared one program.
Pope Francis established the Laudato si' Higher Education Center in February 2023 and entrusted it with developing the Borgo at his Castel Gandolfo residence. The center says the project is open to people of good will and organized around three lines of work: education in integral ecology, a circular and generative economy, and environmental sustainability. Its site describes 55 hectares of extraterritorial land, including gardens and areas used for agriculture, greenhouses and service buildings. Preservation of the gardens and biodiversity is part of its remit, along with training, cultural events and opportunities for people in vulnerable situations.
The Borgo is not merely an event lawn. Its public description includes job training, educational courses and experiences in nature. The center says it aims to join faith, learning and practical care for both people and their environment. This makes it a fitting location for a service inspired by Francis of Assisi during the eight-hundredth anniversary year of his death. His "Canticle of the Creatures" was among the texts shaping the July gathering. The prayer program addressed creation and peace, while the choir's different home communities gave the theme of human fraternity a visible form. These are the stated meanings of the event and venue; they should not be confused with independently measured outcomes.
Canticle of Peace was promoted by the Laudato si' Higher Education Center and the Andrea Bocelli Foundation. The Vatican's advance release described a moment of prayer and fraternity involving Pope Leo XIV, Bocelli and the ABF Voices Of choir. Cardinal Fabio Baggio, the center's director general, explained the event as an example of education for encounter and mutual care. The Vatican also said Holy See and Vatican City employees would take part. The Borgo provided an institutional and physical setting for the evening; ABF supplied the youth program and its performers. Banvelca later said its foundation and the Herrera Velutini family supported the initiative. Each of those contributions belongs to a different source and should be described separately.
Vatican News reported that the gathering was held under an old holm oak known as "Methuselah." It described four broad parts devoted to creation, peace, human dignity, and faith and unity. Pope Leo XIV thanked the choristers and directors, drew a lesson about cooperation from the choir, and prayed for places affected by violence. The children prayed in several languages; the gathering ended with the Lord's Prayer and blessing, followed by "Amazing Grace." These reported details show how the venue's wider concerns were translated into readings and music. They also demonstrate that the event was a religious service, not just an outdoor concert.
The Borgo's mission can be discussed without using it to make sweeping claims about the children who visited. The Andrea Bocelli Foundation says the young singers spent ten days in Italy rehearsing and learning together. A gathering at a site devoted to ecology and inclusion gave them a notable final setting. The publicly available record does not tell us how each child experienced the landscape or whether a visit changed their understanding of environmental issues. A carefully written background page can explain the Borgo's stated aims and the documented event without projecting an inner experience onto participants.
Borgo Laudato si' was still a relatively new public educational site when Canticle of Peace took place. The event showed one way its organizers could use the pontifical estate: invite people from several communities, place their work within a theme of human dignity and care for creation, and make prayer the final form of their meeting. The venue's continuing work will be judged through its programs over time, not through the symbolism of one evening alone.
Sources: Borgo Laudato si' official overview, Laudato si' center history, Vatican 2026 event release, Pope's address, Vatican News account
