Purge `sloppy' music from liturgy, pope says

National Catholic Reporter, March 14, 2003 by Gill Donovan

VATICAN CITY: Beautiful and dignified music an important part of worship, Pope John Paul II asked church communities to purge "sloppy forms" of musical expression from their liturgies. "The Christian community must make an examination of conscience in order that the beauty of music and song increasingly return within liturgy," he said Feb. 26 at his weekly general audience. "Worship must be purified of stylistic rough edges, of sloppy forms of expression, and of clumsy music and texts, which are hardly consonant with the greatness of the act being celebrated," he said.

The pope noted that music and musical instruments have a long tradition as an "aid" to prayer. He cited Psalm 150's description of praising God with trumpet blasts, lyre and harp, and clanging cymbals. "It is necessary to discover and constantly live the beauty of prayer and the liturgy," the pope said. "It's necessary to pray to God not only with theologically exact formulas but also in a beautiful and dignified way."

He said music and song could assist believers in prayer, which he described as the opening of a "channel of communication" between God and his creatures.