Pope Leo asks Michael Bublé to sing spontaneous Schubert ‘Ave Maria’ at the Vatican

8 December 2025, 17:09

The Pope appeared to make the musical request of Bublé on the spot.

Canadian singer Michael Bublé shared a musical moment with Pope Leo XIV during a special Concert with the Poor at the Vatican on Saturday. And His Holiness even sang along.

A faltering Bublé had sung a couple of lines of Schubert’s ‘Ave Maria’ at the Pope’s request during a press conference, confessing he’d never sung it before and would need a rehearsal.

However, at the Paul VI Hall before an audience of more than 8,000 people, the singer performed a concert he later described as “the greatest moment of my life and my career”.

Bublé sang a range of hits from ‘Feeling Good’ to the pontiff’s original request, even getting him to sing along.

At the end of the performance, which also featured the Nova Opera Orchestra and the 200-voice Choir of the Diocese of Rome and was hosted by Italian actress and singer Serena Autieri, the Pope thanked Bublé directly, saying in English, “Michael Bublé, your Italian is wonderful, thank you so much.”

Read more: Resurfaced footage shows Pope Leo singing ‘Feliz Navidad’ with church band in Peru

Pope Leo described music as “a bridge that leads us to God.”

Music, he said, “can lift our spirits, not because it distracts us from life’s troubles, but because it reminds us that we are more than our problems. We are children loved by God.”

This is the first time a pope has been in attendance at the annual Vatican Concert with the Poor. Maybe the others just hadn’t met Bublé yet.