For the visit of Pope Leo XIV to Montevideo, from 6 to 8 November, the Church has chosen a hymn that unites the three musical souls of the country
The Uruguayan Catholic Church is in trepidation about the upcoming apostolic journey of Pope Leo XIV. In the meantime, to prepare to welcome him in the best possible way, he composed a song in honor of the Pontiff. The song is titled A great joyand will be the official anthem of the visit to Uruguay, scheduled from 6 to 8 November.
Going into the merit of the piece, the composition sees the harmonious union of the music of Diego Melano with lyrics by Santiago Soares de Lima. The performers are three very talented names, already known to the local public: Lucas Sugo, Josefina Damiani And Catherine Vergnes. For now, we are limited to the tests. But on November 7, finally, the artists will perform the song live in front of the Pope, during the prayer vigil at the Centenario Stadium in Montevideo.
The music that accompanies the arrival of Pope Leo XIV
The choice of rhythms is not at all random. The song in fact intertwines candombe, murga and milonga: three musical expressions that tell the history of Uruguay in detail, sinking their roots in an ancient tradition.
Candombe has its roots in African culture, brought to South America through the slave trade. It is percussive, ritual, community music. The murga is instead linked to popular theatre: choirs, fast-paced rhythms, irony, satire. It is born in the streets and neighborhoods. Finally, the milonga is the genre that links Uruguay and Argentina, and which is considered (a curiosity that few people know) among the ancestors of the most famous tango.
Marrying these three souls means recognizing that Uruguayan culture is not at all monolithic. It is rather mixed-race, stratified, alive.
The red thread of the apostolic journey
The title of the song directly takes up the motto chosen for the apostolic visit: “I announce to you a great joy”. An evangelical call that the song translates into familiar sounds, linking it to places and landscapes of the nation.
Pope Leo XIV he is expected in Montevideo on November 6th. On the 8th he will finally conclude the trip with a mass in Florida, capital of the Uruguayan department of the same name. The song that Uruguay dedicated to him will accompany him cheerfully (as the title suggests) during all three days of the visit.
