Pope Francis: Music in the liturgy, in the Mass, is not an ornamental element

Pope Francis explained that music in the liturgy is not something ornamental, but an important and necessary part of it, during his message to the participants of the 74th National Liturgical Week in Italy.

The theme of the event, which takes place from August 26 to 29, is titled “In the liturgy, the true prayer of the Church. People of God and ars celebrandi.”

In his message, sent to Bishop Claudio Maniago, Archbishop of Catanzaro-Squillace and president of the Center for Liturgical Action, and signed by the Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy Father referred to four points to reflect on the liturgy as “true prayer of the Church.”

1. Music and singing in the liturgy

“Music in the liturgy is not an ornamental element but an integral and necessary part (The Holy Council112), which contributes, along with the other languages ​​of which the liturgy is composed, to the epiphany of the celebrated mystery,” the Holy Father indicated in the message published by the Vatican Press Office.

“In song, in fact, the faithful live and express their faith. Saint Paul VI, with great wisdom, wrote in this regard: ‘If the faithful sing, they do not desert the Church, if they do not desert the Church, they preserve the faith and the Christian life.'”

In this sense, Pope Francis recommends “special care, in a particular way in the celebration of the Sunday Eucharist, remembering that with singing, through the agreement of voices, the spiritual union of those who communicate is expressed, the joy of the heart and light is shed on the community character of all who come to receive the Eucharist.”

2. Silence in the liturgy

Pope Francis’ message encourages us to “contrast the frenzy, rumors and gossip that affect our daily lives, valuing sacred silence, an eloquent gesture, favorable time and fruitful space to remain in the love of the Lord, cultivate “a contemplative gaze, give depth to prayer and allow oneself to be transformed by the Spirit.”

With silence, he continues, “the Church can listen to Him who reveals himself in the ‘whisper of a light breeze’.”

3. The “chorality” of liturgical prayer

Regarding this aspect, the Pontiff highlights the importance of uniting “with the mother tongue of the Church, to become one body and one voice.”

“The beauty of the truth of Christian prayer is precisely in this weave of voices, which we can rightly call choralism. Every Christian prayer is always multi-voiced, as every liturgical action is always multi-handed: we are united to Christ and in Christ we rediscover all of humanity,” he continued.

The Pope highlighted that this experience of “chorality” is experienced with more intensity “in the Liturgy of the Hours, which “still deserves efforts so that it effectively becomes a prayer for the people of God.”

4. The promotion of “liturgical ministry”

“The presence of a diversified ministry, nourished by communion in Christ, nourishes the active participation of the assembly and promotes co-responsibility in the mission, concretely manifesting the synodal nature of the Church,” highlights Pope Francis.

“This awareness requires a constant effort in formation, to avoid personalism and delusions of protagonism, in order to perform a true service to the communion,” he added.