The Pope made his remarks on Sunday at a service in St Peter's Square with thousands of choir singers from various countries who had come to Rome to mark the Holy Year.
There are tens of thousands of Catholic church choirs around the world, with more than 8,000 in Germany alone.
In his homily, the Pope said that the task of church music is to involve the faithful "in the praise of God and to involve them more closely in the liturgical action through song".
For the people of God, singing is an expression of petition and praise in which "Christ makes all the baptised participate as one body animated by the new life of the Spirit. (...) Liturgical music thus becomes a very precious instrument with which we praise God and express the joy of the new life in Christ."
The Pope went on to say: "Being part of a choir therefore means moving forward together, taking our brothers and sisters by the hand, helping them to walk with us and singing the praises of God with them, comforting them in their sufferings, talking to them when they seem to succumb to fatigue and giving them enthusiasm when the hardships seem too great."
A ministry that requires discipline
Singing in the church choir is "a true ministry that requires preparation, faithfulness, mutual understanding and, above all, a deep spiritual life, so that when you pray by singing, you help everyone to pray. It is a ministry that requires discipline and willingness to serve (...) "
In his homily, the Pope also included clear admonitions to the church choirs, saying: "But remember that the church is your great family: You do not stand before it, but are part of it, and in so doing you endeavour to unite it more, to stimulate it and involve it. Above all, however, you should always be able to involve the people of God and not succumb to the temptation to give a musical performance that excludes the active participation of the whole liturgical assembly in the singing."