In his recent audience, the Holy Father continued his catechesis on Sacrosantum concilium, the document on the sacred liturgy from the Second Vatican Council. 

At that audience, Pope Leo XIV focused on the importance of sacred music in the Mass. According to Sacrosantum concilium, sacred music is “greater even than that of any other art,” because it is part of the liturgical celebration. 

Therefore, music in the liturgy is not a mere adornment, but is rather an integral part of worship. “To sing and play music during the liturgy is to pray, attuning one’s heart to that of our sisters and brothers and to God, through active participation in the mystery being celebrated,” the Holy Father said.

Sacred Music

While the Church offers latitude on the types of music used at Mass, the Holy Father stressed that sacred hymns should meet certain criteria. First, “at every level, it must respond to what is most appropriate for the liturgical moment, beyond fashions or composers’ particular sensitivities,” the Holy Father said. And, the music should be “of high musical quality and easily performable.” 

The sacred hymns, the Holy Father said, should be sourced from Scripture, tradition, and liturgical books. 

Gregorian chant and the organ take pride of place in the liturgy, “without excluding other genres of sacred music from the celebration,” said the Pontiff. And, mission lands with their own musical traditions can be incorporated into the sacred liturgy. Thus, when missionaries serves this communities, “every effort should be made to see that they become competent in promoting the traditional music of these people,” according to Sacrosantum concilium. 

Finally, the Holy Father spoke of the importance of the schola cantorum, or Church choirs. In Musicam sacram, the text on sacred music from the Second Vatican Council, the Church recommends choirs in Cathedrals, seminaries, monasteries, and smaller churches. The council put a special emphasis on such choirs “to ensure the proper performance of the parts which belong to it…and to encourage the active participation of the faithful in the singing.”