Patti Smith, Sister Cristina to perform at Vatican Christmas concert—UPDATED

From Huffington Post: 

Sources close to Patti Smith confirmed to The Huffington Post that she will be performing at the Holy See’s Christmas concert this year.

The iconic rock star is one of 18 acts scheduled to take the stage at the Conciliation Auditorium in Rome on Dec. 13 for the Vatican’s annual Concerto di Natale.

Anthony DeCurtis, Contributing Editor at Rolling Stone, who is working on a biography of Lou Reed, said the invitation made sense:

“The person who did this really understood how Catholic imagery and atmosphere is woven into Patti Smith’s work; and the life or death urgency her work represents — it’s about salvation and redemption.”

The news came as a historic church in Naples continues to debate whether or not to let Patti Smith sing at its own concert, according to the Italian newspaper Corriere del Mezzogiorno..

Portosalvo, a Catholic association, has asked the Archbishop of Naples to ban Smith from performing at the Basilica of San Giovanni Maggiore, reportedly calling it “blasphemous.”

Smith met the Pope in person in St. Peter’s Square last year, saying afterwards that the pontiff was “very interesting” and that she “liked him a lot.”

…Other stars in the lineup include Sister Cristina, the singing nun who stole the top prize at Italy’s “The Voice.”

UPDATE: Evidently, this is the second time she’s performed for this Vatican concert. She was there in 2013, too, performing what may be her best-known song, “Because the Night”.  A video of the performance is below.

And “O Holy Night”