Sep 1, 2011 / 16:38 pm
Pope Benedict XVI has praised sacred music as a means of prayer, following a classical concert hosted in his honor at the papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo.
“This evening we are immersed in sacred music, that music which in a quite special way is born from faith and can express and communicate faith,” said the Pope. In the midst of daily activities, “you have offered us a moment of meditation and prayer, making us perceive the harmonies of heaven.”
The concert featured various compositions by Cardinal Domenico Bartolucci, the former director of the Sistine Chapel Choir. The 94-year-old Italian has had a long and distinguished career as a composer of sacred music. Pope Benedict recognized this by raising him to the rank of cardinal last year.
“Faith is the light that has always guided and driven his life,” said the Pope in tribute to Cardinal Bartolucci, adding that he has “opened his heart to respond with generosity to the call of the Lord and that has also emerged in his way of composing music.”