Ana Torres Fonseca
Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli received the 2026 Joaquín Navarro-Valls International Prize for Leadership and Benevolence. The award recognizes individuals who combine professional excellence, ethical vision, and service to society.
The prize was established in 2023 by Rome’s Biomedical University Foundation. On the occasion of its fourth edition, Pope Leo XIV sent a message praising the initiative, words that deeply resonated with all those attending the ceremony.
ALESSANDRO PERNIGO
President, Biomedical University Foundation
For me, it was a great emotion to receive and read this letter today. What touched me most was that the Pope reminded us, through his words, of the importance of building goodness together so that humanity may never lose its beauty.
Bocelli was recognized not only for his artistic career but also for his social commitment through his foundation, which promotes educational, inclusion, and community development projects.
ANDREA BOCELLI
Italian Tenor
Awards always carry a burden of responsibility because, in the end, they should be deserved. Yet I have always had the impression that I don't deserve them because, deep down, I don't believe that merit truly exists in life. If a person has talents, they have received them freely; they are gifts from heaven. What does exist, rather, are demerits, and there are many of those. When you are given a talent and fail to use it properly, then you have shown a lack of merit.
The prize is named after Joaquín Navarro-Valls, who served for 22 years as the spokesman of Pope John Paul II and was one of the Polish Pope's most trusted collaborators in communications. This year's edition described him as a “man of unity.”
