CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, SEPT. 1, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is suggesting that sacred music can assist people in their journey of faith.
The Pope said this Wednesday when he thanked Cardinal Domenico Bartolucci for a concert the cardinal organized in his honor.
The 94-year-old cardinal was director of the Sistine Chapel Choir for more than four decades, until 1997. The cardinal is not a bishop.
Benedict XVI paid tribute to the cardinal-composer, noting that for him, «sacred music is a privileged language to communicate the faith of the Church and to help those who listen to your works in their journey of faith.»
The program was made up of four pieces composed by Cardinal Bartolucci himself, including «Benedictus,» especially written for this occasion as a homage to the Pontiff’s ministry.
The soloists, sopranos Enrica Fabbri and Lykke Anholm and baritone Michele Govi, as well as the Rossini Chamber Choir of Pesaro and the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Marches, were conducted by Simone Baiocchi.
Referring to another of the pieces, «Baptisma,» the Pope offered a reflection on «the beginning of our journey of faith, …. the moment we became Christian» at baptism.
He spoke of the music as «an invitation to satiate ourselves always with the only water that extinguishes thirst, the living God, and to commit ourselves every day to reject evil and to renew our faith, reaffirming ‘I believe!'»
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On ZENIT’s Web page:
Full text: www.zenit.org/article-33330?l=english
