Jennifer Hudson is heading to the Vatican for a special performance with Pope Leo XIV. The EGOT winner headlines the seventh Concert with the Poor on December 5, bringing music and solidarity to thousands. Hudson’s appearance carries a hometown connection, since both she and the pontiff grew up in Chicago.
Organizers announced that Hudson will take the stage at the Paul VI Audience Hall with the Nova Opera Orchestra, featuring more than 70 musicians. The 200-member Choir of the Diocese of Rome will also accompany her, with Monsignor Marco Frisina leading the artistic direction.
Jennifer Hudson headlines the seventh Concert with the Poor
The Nova Opera Foundation hosted the annual concert. Its mission centered on turning music into “a gift of hope” through compassion, solidarity and shared humanity. Organizers planned to invite at least 3,000 people experiencing poverty and hardship to sit in the hall’s front sections.
Hudson called the invitation “such an honor” in a video announcement. She followed Michael Bublé, who headlined the 2025 concert and called it one of the most important days of his life. Bublé brought his friend Carson Daly, who also met the Pope. Daly cheered Hudson on, writing, “I went last year! It’s so amazing and what an incredible choice JHud is! Go if you can!” Kristin Chenoweth celebrated the news with heart and applause emojis.
The Chicago connection made the booking especially meaningful to fans. Hudson arrived in September 1981 as the youngest of 27 siblings. In a 2019 interview with The Guardian, she recalled having 11 sisters and 16 brothers. She also described finding her father, Sam, with her sister when she was 15. He moved in with the family but died when Hudson was 16.
Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, arrived in 1955 and grew up on Chicago’s South Side, according to PBS. He became the first American to lead the Catholic Church in 2025. Before his path to the papacy, he earned a Master of Divinity from Chicago’s Catholic Theological Union.
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