Jennifer Hudson to headline Vatican Christmas concert for the poor

Grammy- and Academy Award-winning singer Jennifer Hudson will usher in the Christmas season at the Vatican with a concert for the poor.

The R&B artist will perform on Dec. 5 at the seventh edition of the Concert with the Poor in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall. As in 2025, Pope Leo XIV will attend the concert, which will support approximately 3,000 people in need served by volunteer organizations around Rome.

Hudson will become the first American vocalist to perform at the Christmas concert, singing alongside the renowned priest and composer Monsignor Marco Frisina, Italian actress and singer Serena Autieri, and the choir of the Diocese of Rome. It will also mark Hudson’s second performance at the Vatican, following her 2025 appearance with others at “Grace for the World,” in tribute to Pope Francis, who died earlier that year.

Illuminated drones reproduce Michelangelo’s “Pietà” over St. Peter’s Basilica during the “Grace for the World” concert at the Vatican on Sept. 14, 2025. | Credit: Courtney Mares/EWTN News

The 2025 edition, which hosted a pope for the first time in its history, featured Canadian singer Michael Bublé, who described the experience as an encouragement to…