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Pope Francis’ to the IV International Meeting of Choirs
Paul VI Audience Hall – Saturday, 8 June 2024
Good morning!
Have you noticed that the spontaneity of children speaks louder than the best of speeches?
Children are like that, they express themselves as they are.
We must take care of children because they are the future, they are hope, and they are also witnesses to spontaneity, innocence and promise.
This is why Jesus said that he wanted children to come close.
When the apostles said to them, “Go away!”, the Lord said, “No, no, let the children come!”.
Children are the privileged ones.
That is why Jesus said: “the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these”.
We must learn from the spontaneity they have just shown.
Moreover, they did not come enticed by pieces of candy – afterwards they realized there were sweets – instead they came because they wanted to come.
That is who they are.
Let us not forget the lesson they have taught us today. Thank you!
I extend a warm welcome to you all, and I especially thank Monsignor Marco Frisina and Nova Opera for promoting this initiative, which takes place on the fortieth anniversary of the foundation of the Choir of the Diocese of Rome.
This anniversary encourages all of you to continue the precious service you provide, both in Rome and in many other parts of the world.
Your fourth international meeting brings together parish and diocesan choirs, scholæ cantorum, chapel choirs, directors and musicians.
You have come together in the Vatican to explore more deeply the importance of music in service to the liturgy.
It is very good to see you here, coming as you do from many different places yet all united by faith and a passion for music. You are an eloquent sign of unity.
For this reason, I would like to draw your attention to three essential aspects of your service: harmony, communion, and joy.
First: harmony.
Music creates harmony, and thus reaches out to everyone, consoling those who are suffering, rekindling enthusiasm in those who are downhearted, and bringing forth wonderful values such as beauty and poetry, which reflect God’s harmonious light.
Music is indeed a universal and immediate language that requires no translation or elaborate explanation. Both experts and ordinary people can appreciate it, each grasping different aspects to varying degrees, nut all drawing from the same richness.
Moreover, music teaches us how to listen, to pay attention and study; it elevates emotions, feelings, and thoughts, leading people beyond the whirlwind of haste, noise, and a merely material vision of life, and helping them to better contemplate themselves and the reality around them.
In this way. it gives those who cultivate it a wise and serene outlook, which makes it easier to overcome divisions and rivalries and thus be in harmony, much like the instruments of an orchestra or the voices of a choir.
It encourages us to be attentive to “off-key” notes and to correct “dissonances”, which are useful for the dynamics of compositions as long as they are integrated into a wise harmonic fabric
Second: community.
Choral singing is done together, not alone.
This also tells us something about the Church and the world in which we live.
Our journey together can be compared to the performance of a great “concert”, where each person contributes according to his or her abilities, playing or singing his or her “part”, discovering his or her unique richness in the symphony of communion.
In a choir or orchestra, each member relies on the others, and the success of the performance depends on the commitment of each individual.
All must give their best according to their role, respecting and listening in harmony with those around them, without seeking personal prominence.
This reflects the life of the Church and our own lives, where we are all called to fulfil our role for the good of the whole community, so that a song of praise to God may rise from all over the world (cf. Ps 47:1).
Finally: joy.
You are guardians of a centuries-old treasure of art, beauty, and spirituality.
Do not allow the mentality of the world taint it with self-interest, ambition, jealousy, or division, for as you know, these things can infiltrate the life of choirs and communities, making them places that are no longer joyful but sad and troubled, even leading to their dissolution.
To this end, it will be good for you to maintain the high spiritual tone of your vocation through prayer and meditation on the Word of God, through participation in the liturgies which you animate not only with your voices but also with your minds and hearts, and by living your daily lives with enthusiasm, so that your music may increasingly be a joyful offering to God, who with his love attracts, enlightens and transforms everything (cf. 1 Cor 13:1-13).
In this way, you will fulfil the exhortation of Saint Augustine: “Let us praise the Lord with our lives and our tongues, with hearts and mouths, with our voices and with our behavior” (Sermo 256).
Dear sisters and brothers, I thank you for your visit, and especially for your service to the prayer and evangelisation of the Church.
I accompany you with my blessing and I ask you to pray for me as you sing. Thank you very much!
