Pope Benedict on Saturday greeted members of the Italian Association of
Santa Cecilia, which is made up of members of church choirs from across
the country.Noting that this is the Year of Faith, the Holy Father spoke to the choristers about the role sacred music can play in promoting the faith, and working for the New Evangelization.
“If, in fact, faith always comes from the Word of God – a listening, of course, which is not only through our senses, but which also passes to the mind and heart – there is no doubt that music and especially singing can give the recitation of psalms and biblical canticles greater communicative power,” the Pope said.
Pope Benedict spoke about how St. Augustine was moved by the Ambrosian Chant he encountered in Milan.
“[Augustine] did not approve of the pursuit of a mere pleasure of the senses during sung liturgies,” the Pope explained. “But he recognized that well-constructed music and singing can help to welcome the Word of God.”
Quoting the Vatican II document on the liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, Pope Benedict said the purpose of sacred music “is the glory of God and the sanctification of the faithful.”