Pope Francis is today celebrating his 80th birthday and, among his commitments, he will be receiving Malta’s President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca.
But the activities do not stop there.
The Pontiff will this evening attend a concert to be given by Italian singer Claudio Baglioni at the Pope Paul VI Centre at the Vatican.
The concert, named “Avrai” after the song Claudio Baglioni had written for the birth of his only son in 1982, will see the participation of a 150-strong orchestra and a number of other personalities who will pass on a message of goodwill.
The proceeds of the concert will go for the building of a paediatric hospital in Bangui, the capital city of the Central African Republic. Pope Francis had visited the country last year.
Part of the proceeds will also go to help the people who were hit by a devastating earthquake in the central parts of Italy earlier this year. Claudio Baglioni has already presented the first €500,000 collected for the event.
Claudio Baglioni is renowned for his work to raise awareness on the plight of migrants, and through the organisation he has set up, called O’Scia, has held several free concerts on Lampedusa in this regard. One of these concerts had been held in Malta in 2007.
Tonight's concert will be broadcast live on Rai Uno at 8.30pm.