Francis Invites "Punk Rocker" to Perform at the Vatican’s Christmas Concert

Francis Invites "Punk Rocker" to Perform at the Vatican’s Christmas Concert

By: Julie Miller

If you needed more proof that Francis is a not-so-secret hipster, you’re in luck. He has personally invited Patti Smith to perform at the Vatican’s Christmas shindig this December. Although the two might seem like an unlikely pair, they actually have a brief history, having met at St. Peter's Square last year where they shook hands and, we imagine, traded anecdotes about their punk-rock days.

 Smith recorded the lullaby for Darren Aronofsky’s biblical film Noah last year. And although she has stated that she is not Catholic, she has gone on record to praise the Bible. “It has everything, creation, betrayal, lust, poetry, prophecy, sacrifice,” she told The Independent last April. “All great things are in the Bible and all great writers have drawn from it, and more than people realize, whether [it was] Shakespeare, Herman Melville, or Bob Dylan. Of course there are stories that are still relevant and inspiring; lessons that need to be taught over and over again. And they give people hope.”

The concert will take place on December 13 near the Vatican, at Rome’s Auditorium Conciliazione. Seventeen additional artists have been chose to perform at the holiday event, including French D.J. Bob Sinclar and the “singing nun”/champion of Italy’s version of The Voice, Sister Cristina Scuccia.
In terms of the Pope’s taste in popular American rockers, Francis has previously established himself as a fan of Lou Reed.