There are moments that stay forever etched in memory. For Athenas María Vénica, known artistically as Athenas, singing before Pope Leo XIV during his visit to Argentina was one of them.
The Argentine singer and songwriter, a leading figure in contemporary Catholic music, participated in the central celebrations of the papal visit in November 2026. She took part in the youth gathering at the Monument to the Spaniards, where she sang as a soloist with a large choir, and she was also involved in the musical animation of the Mass.
The emotion was enormous. Not only because she stood before the Holy Father, but also for what it meant to see thousands of young people gathered to share their faith. “This gift Jesus gave me has already happened“, she thought as she began to sing before Leo XIV. It was the moment she truly realized the magnitude of what she was living.
But the experience also had a family chapter: her brother, a seminarian of the Mercedes-Luján diocese, participated in the celebration in Luján and had the opportunity to be very close to the Pope.
Athenas has had a career that began at a very young age. At 10 she took part in the children’s program Cantaniño on Telefe, and over time she found in music a way to express and share her faith. In 2022 she was nominated for a Latin Grammy for her album Alfa y Omega. She currently works independently with her husband and producer, Tobías Buteler, and her songs reach millions of views around the world.
In an interview with Para Ti, she talks about her vocation, the emotion of singing before the Pontiff, the encounter her family shared, and the message she hopes to convey to young people seeking God.
Athenas and the Emotion of Singing Before Pope Leo XIV
– Athenas, you lived one of those moments you will likely remember for life: singing during the meeting of Pope Leo XIV with the youth at the Monument to the Spaniards. How did you receive the invitation to participate and what did you feel when you learned you would be singing before the Pope? How did you prepare for that day?
– The invitation to sing came while I was closely following how the event was being organized. My husband handled the orchestral and choral arrangements for both the youth gathering and the Mass, so I had been involved in the process from the start.
As I devote myself to Catholic music, it was a deep longing to participate in some way. I was very excited and followed every detail closely.
Eventually, we were first confirmed for participation in the youth gathering. I received an official message inviting me as a soloist with the choir, and, as you can imagine, it was a tremendous thrill.
At that moment I couldn’t yet grasp what I would experience. My emotion was total, but I think it overflowed in the days that followed as I realized that everything had been much larger and more incredible than I imagined.
Given how it was lived, the size of the crowd, and the faith shared during these gatherings, the experience far exceeded my expectations.
“This gift Jesus gave me has already happened”: the moment when emotion overwhelmed her
– In the images you look deeply emotional. What went through your heart when you started singing and you saw so many young people gathered sharing their faith? Was there a moment, a song, or a glance toward the Pope in which you felt the emotion overwhelm you?
It was a very beautiful moment. We came with our hearts full of emotion to be there. It was one of those experiences you can hardly believe you are living.
Fortunately, I had a clear view of the Pope from his arrival, and I could also see the number of youths gathered. All of that already filled me with enormous emotion.
But there was a very particular moment: when I sang the first line in front of the Holy Father, who was already there. We shared that moment as soloists with my friend Verónica San Filippo, another incredible Catholic singer. That’s when I truly realized what was happening.
I thought: “This gift Jesus gave me has already happened.” It was recognizing that the long-awaited moment was finally taking place.
For me, the most important thing was not simply singing, but everything that was mobilizing in the faith of our country, of the youths, and also of all the people following the encounter through social media.
I think it was something we did not expect and, at the same time, we did not know how much we needed it.
The emotion was so great that I could not look too long at the Pope. I looked at him from time to time, to treasure that moment in my heart, but between the nerves and what I was experiencing, I felt overwhelmed.
Her brother was also beside the Pope in Luján: “My family is absolutely in Papa mode”
– There’s a very special detail to this story: your brother was also on stage, very close to Pope Leo XIV. What role did he fulfill during the encounter? What is his name and what did it mean for you, as siblings and as a family, to share such an extraordinary experience? Did you get to look at each other or exchange a word amid all the emotion?
– How wonderful that this happened as well! My brother is a seminarian of the Mercedes-Luján diocese and participated in the Mass held in Luján, where he had the opportunity to be at the altar, very close to the Holy Father.
Later he told me how incredible that experience had been. He had to kneel before the Pope during the moment of the consecration. He was overwhelmed with emotion and, in addition, he had the blessing of being near him and greeting him.
My family is absolutely in Papa mode, very excited and feeling blessed. My siblings were also able to be very close to him during the youth meeting. We are enjoying all of this very much and are fully aware of the blessing it represents.
We didn’t manage to cross paths with my brother because he was in Luján and I was at the youth gathering. Also, I took part in the pre-Mass animation, so they were two different moments. We could not travel physically to Luján because it would have been impossible.
– Your music is deeply linked to faith and prayer. How did your vocation to sing for God originate, and what place does music hold in your relationship with Him? After what you experienced yesterday, do you feel this meeting with Leo XIV carried a special message for you, both personally and in your mission as a Catholic singer?
– I believe my vocation emerged from the convergence of two paths that, at a certain moment, found one another. On one side, music, which entered my life at a very young age thanks to my parents. Our home was always filled with music and folklore. Both of them are from Santa Fe, so I grew up listening to chamamé. My mother, too, sings beautifully.
On the other hand, there is my faith journey, which also began early, through powerful experiences, especially through my mother. Then, at 15, I had a more personal experience in a youth group, where I discovered I could use music as a tool to pray, to meet God, and to talk about the things that matter most in life: faith and God.
This began a path that was a long process of learning and growth. When I was around 18 or 19, a producer emerged who proposed recording professionally. From then on, my videos began to go viral and invitations from different countries and places started arriving. It all grew little by little, until reaching this moment.
Although I had the opportunity to travel to 20 countries, what we lived yesterday surpassed everything. It was an extraordinary experience.
Regarding the Pope’s message, I still have to go back and revisit his words because everything he said deserves to be heard again. But I believe the message is the same as Jesus’: draw near to Him, knowing that He wants to give us life in abundance and to entrust Him with all our hearts. Specifically, Vida en abundancia (Life in Abundance) is the song that was resonating a lot during these days.
Her visit leaves me, with even more conviction, the importance of staying close to God and continuing the mission He entrusted to me. First, as a person, mother, and wife; and also through music, which is a very special gift He gave us.
All of this left us with a greater desire to keep going, to continue doing what we do, and to be ever closer to God.
What Athenas would ask Pope Leo XIV and her message for the youth
– If you could return for a moment to that stage and speak directly to Pope Leo XIV, what would you like to tell him? And thinking of all the young people who were there, especially those going through difficult times or feeling that they are losing faith, what message would you like to leave them after this experience?
– If I could speak with the Pope, I would specifically ask what he would like us to do with music. He has a very special grace for discerning where to take the Church, where to steer that boat, as we say.
I would like to ask him: What music would best accompany that boat? What would he like us to do from our place? And, above all, I would place myself at his service to do whatever he asks of me. I think that would be the most beautiful thing for me.
And to the young people I would tell them that the message the Pope shared yesterday is one to read and reread. It was especially for those who feel distant from the Church, so they know they have a place, that they should come closer and be encouraged to experience God’s love and mercy.
God is waiting for us, welcoming us, wanting to give us life and life in abundance. He has a purpose for each one of us and wants us to be whole and happy while near Him.
As one of my songs says, He is the way, the truth, and the life. With Him we can experience, even in the midst of difficulties, a true celebration on Earth, a kind of heaven on Earth when we are close to God.
In short, I would convey the same message the Holy Father gave us: to draw near to Him and discover all that God has to offer.
Remembering what she lived in front of Pope Leo XIV, Athenas knows there are moments that go far beyond a musical performance. They were days of encounter, of shared faith, and emotions she is still processing. An experience that also strengthened her commitment to music and to the mission she chose to follow.
She will return to the stages, to the songs, and to that path that began when she discovered that her voice could become a form of prayer. But now she will do so with renewed certainty: that music can bring people closer, awaken faith, and become a bridge to God.
And perhaps that is the greatest gift she takes from these days: the certainty that her music has a purpose and that there are still many people with whom she can share that message of love, hope, and life in abundance.
Angel Byrne
I write about fashion with a personal eye for detail, elegance, and real-life style. Through Angel’s Boutique, I share honest reviews, boutique finds, and style notes for women who want inspiration that feels feminine, modern, and easy to make their own.