Last night the Italian Ambassador to Poland Luca Franchetti Pardo introduced the concert 'Missa Papae Ioannis', by the Roman composer and pianist Massimiliano Pace, which was performed in the Church of All Saints, one of the landmarks of the Italian community in Warsaw. The work was originally commissioned by the Roncalli 24 Committee (Ente Bergamaschi nel Mondo Uk and Mie London) on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of Pope John XXIII's canonisation, with the intention of paying homage to the Pontiff's extraordinary spiritual and human legacy.
The ambassador recalled the importance of the figure of John XXIII: of humble origins but protagonist of a formidable career in the Curia; apostolic nuncio and interpreter of the first attempts at rapprochement between the socialist and western worlds; active protector of the Jewish communities during the Holocaust; promoter and initiator of the Second Vatican Council. In concluding, Franchetti Pardo echoed the words of Pope Francis, who called John XXIII a model of inspiration for a Church open to change and close to the faithful, interpreter of its time and imbued with humanity.
Significantly, it was precisely Pope Francis who canonised John Paul II and John XXIII together in 2014. It was precisely with the intention of fostering a climate of hope and trust, as a sign of a renewed rebirth, that Pope Francis called for the 2025 Jubilee of the Catholic Church," the ambassador added.
The composition was performed by soprano Luciana Di Bella, Massimiliano Pace himself on piano, and cellists Matteo Salizzoni, Evva Mizerska, Adam Klocek and Emilia Slugocka, with the participation of Francesco Maria Attardi as speaker. The event, promoted by the Italian Cultural Institute in Warsaw, inaugurates a tour that will take the Missa to be performed in several Italian and international cities during the Jubilee Year.
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