Pope Francis praises children's choir for perseverence

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Wednesday praised a children’s choir singing at his General Audience for persevering in song, even as they were constantly interrupted by applause while performing for the Holy Father.

The young singers from the choir ‘Note Ascendenti’ – of the  community of Sant'Eufemia Lamezia in the Italian region of Calabria – began singing when the Pope welcomed them during his greetings to Italian pilgrims.

Twice, thinking the children had finished, the Paul VI Audience Hall burst into applause, only for the young singers to start up once again. When the choir finally concluded, the crowd roared its approval.

The scene made Pope Francis chuckle, and, speaking off the cuff, he said “When you want to do something, you do it!”

“It is like this with prayer,” – the Pope continued – “When we ask something of the Lord: Insist, insist, insist ... is a good example, a good example of prayer! Thank you! I hope that this encounter will inspire in each of us a renewed intention of Christian witness in the family and society.”