Pope Francis Releasing a Rock Album? Listen to His New Single Here!

By Timothy Yap Oct 30, 2015 11:11 PM EDT

Following a historic visit to the United States, Believe Digital and San Paolo reveal the second single from the album Pope Francis: Wake Up!, "¿Por qué sufren los ninos?" The album is available for preorder now on CDand on iTunes with an instant download of the newest single as well as the title track. "¿Por qué sufren los ninos?" describes in Spanish a message of empathy and support among the global community. The track includes an excerpt of a speech given to youth at St. Thomas University in the Philippines, January 2015, wherein Pope Francis says:

"Why do children suffer? Only when our hearts can ask this question and weep, can we begin to understand."

Backed by a combination of acoustic guitar and evocative choir vocals, the Pope's words convey a universally important message through the widely accessible language of music. The track also includes a Latin hymn "Jesu dulcis memoria" performed by Italian artist Anna Tosato. Each remaining track on the album is equally distinct while staying musically authentic.

With assistance from various artists worldwide, Wake Up! is a diverse and poignant compilation of eleven tracks, which include reimagined hymns of the Christian tradition. Wake Up! represents a harmonic link between tradition and modernism, with excerpts of Pope Francis' most significant speeches during his election set over an eclectic compilation of songs ranging from pop to rock, Latin music to Gregorian chants. Over the course of the album, we hear Pope Francis address global issues such as peace, dignity, and immigration, which he so boldly emphasized during his speech to the U.S. Congress on September 24th:

"We, the people of this continent, are not fearful of foreigners, because most of us were once foreigners. I say this to you as the son of immigrants, knowing that so many of you are also descended from immigrants..."

The album was produced by Don Giulio, who also produced projects for Pope John Paul II, Benedict XVI and now Pope Francis. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Guilio explains, "I tried to be strongly faithful to the pastoral and personality of Pope Francis: the Pope of dialogue, open doors, hospitality. For this reason, the voice of Pope Francis in Wake Up! dialogues music. And contemporary music dialogues with the Christian tradition of sacred hymns."

Pope Francis is a forward thinking spiritual leader who has given the Catholic Church a new energy. The Pontiff has millions of followers all whom turn to Francis for prayers, requests, and intercession to which he responds personally and graciously. Now, this album will act as a connection between spirituality and the modern ideals of the collective by bridging faith and the common good through contemporary music.

Wake Up! includes tracks in Italian, Spanish, English, and Portuguese. The album is set for release on November 27 and is available now for preorder with an instant download of the title track "Wake Up!" in English as well as the second single "¿Por qué sufren los ninos?" The album can be preordered here.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the album will go to a support fund for refugees.