On November 23, the Solemnity of Christ the King, Pope Leo XIV praised the “precious” ministry of liturgical music and told choir members from around the world that their service at the altar must be sustained above all by a deep life of prayer. He later used his pre-Angelus remarks to appeal for the release of hostages kidnapped in Nigeria and Cameroon and to encourage young people on World Youth Day.
The pope celebrated Mass in St. Peter’s Square for the Jubilee of Choirs on the solemnity of Christ the King, telling choristers and musicians that their vocation is to lead God’s people into the mystery of worship.
“Dear choristers and musicians, today you celebrate your jubilee and you show thanks to the Lord for granting you the gift and grace to serve him by offering your voices and talents for his glory and for the spiritual edification of your brothers and sisters,” he said in his homily. “Your task is to draw others into the praise of God and to help them to participate more fully in the liturgy through song.”
Drawing on the day’s responsorial psalm, “Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord” (Psalm 122), Pope Leo said the liturgy calls Christians “to walk together in praise and joy toward the encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, gentle and humble Sovereign.”
“His power is love, his throne the cross, and through the cross his kingdom shines forth upon the world,” he said. “From the wood he reigns as Prince of Peace and King of Justice who, in his passion, reveals to the world the immense mercy of God’s heart. This love is also the inspiration and motive for your singing.”
Pope Leo described singing as a uniquely human way of expressing what words alone cannot say.
“Music can give expression to the whole range of feelings and emotions that arise within us from a living relationship with reality,” he said, adding that “singing, in particular, constitutes a natural and refined expression of the human being: mind, feelings, body, and soul come together to communicate the great events of life.”
Quoting St. Augustine, he recalled that “‘Cantare amantis est’ … that is, ‘singing belongs to those who love.’”
For Christians, he continued, liturgical song is more than performance. “For the people of God, song expresses invocation and praise,” he said. “Liturgical music thus becomes a precious instrument through which we carry out our service of praise to God and express the joy of new life in Christ.”
The pope underlined that choir members exercise a genuine ecclesial service, especially in the liturgy.
“You belong to choirs that carry out their ministry primarily in liturgical settings. Yours is a true ministry that requires preparation, commitment, mutual understanding, and, above all, a deep spiritual life, so that when you sing, you both pray and help everyone else to pray,” he said.
This ministry, he added, “requires discipline and a spirit of service, especially when preparing for a solemn liturgy or an important event in your communities.”
Pope Leo urged choristers not to see themselves as performers set apart from the congregation but as part of the praying assembly.
“The choir is a small family of individuals united by their love of music and the service they offer. However, remember that the community is your larger family,” he said. “You are not on stage but rather a part of that community, endeavoring to help it grow in unity by inspiring and engaging its members.”
He acknowledged the ordinary tensions that can arise in any group but said that even these can become a sign of the Church’s pilgrimage through history.
“We can say to some extent that the choir symbolizes the Church, which, striving toward its goal, walks through history praising God,” he said. “Even when this journey is beset by difficulties and trials and joyful moments give way to more challenging ones, singing makes the journey lighter, providing relief and consolation.”
Citing both St. Augustine and St. Ignatius of Antioch, the pope presented the choir as a sign of synodality and unity in the Church in which diverse voices become a single hymn of praise.
“In fact, the different voices of a choir harmonize with each other, giving rise to a single hymn of praise, a luminous symbol of the Church, which unites everyone in love in a single pleasing melody,” he said.
Pope Leo also encouraged musicians to study the Church’s teaching on sacred music and to resist the impulse to draw attention to themselves rather than to God.
“Strive, therefore, to make your choirs ever harmonious and beautiful, and a brighter image of the Church praising her Lord,” he said. “Study the magisterium carefully. The conciliar documents set out the norms for carrying out your service in the best possible way.”
“Above all, dedicate yourselves to facilitating the participation of the people of God, without giving in to the temptation of ostentation, which prevents the entire liturgical assembly from actively participating in the singing,” he added. “In this, be an eloquent sign of the Church’s prayer, expressing its love for God through the beauty of music. Take care that your spiritual life is always worthy of the service you perform, so that your ministry may authentically express the grace of the liturgy.”
At the end of his homily, the pope entrusted all choir members to the patron saint of sacred music.
“I place all of you under the protection of St. Cecilia, the virgin and martyr who raised the most beautiful song of love through her life here in Rome, giving herself entirely to Christ and offering the Church a shining example of faith and love,” he said. “Let us continue singing and once again make our own the invitation of today’s responsorial psalm: ‘Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.’”
–by Victoria Cardiel
