Pope and Synod Fathers attend concert

(October 14, 2008) The voices and instruments that make up an orchestra are like the diversity of charisms in the Church which blend and harmonise together to offer a melody that is pleasing both to the ear and the spirit. This observation Pope Benedict XVI made on Monday when he and participants in the current synod on the Bible were treated to an evening concert at Rome’s St. Paul’s Basilica Outside the Walls. The concert was sponsored by the Foundation for Sacred Music and Art, and is part of the seventh “International Festival of Sacred Art and Music” currently underway in Rome through Nov. 29. The Vienna Philharmonic, directed by Christoph Eschenbach, performed Anton Bruckner’s “Sixth Symphony.” Speaking at the end of the concert the Pope expressed admiration for Bruckner’s ability to transmit a religious vision of life and history through his works. Listening to his “Sixth Symphony” he said one is reminded of St. Paul’s comparison of the Church to the human body all of whose diverse parts are indispensable for the good functioning of the body. “So too with the orchestra composed of diverse instruments and voices that harmonize among themselves to offer a harmonious melody, pleasing to the ear and the spirit,” the Pope said. He wished that the basilica that houses the mortal remains of St. Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles, truly be a fulcrum of liturgical, spiritual and artistic initiatives to help rediscover their missionary work and theological thought. Because of the concert the afternoon session of the synod of bishops was not held. The Oct 5-26 synod is discussing the Word of God in the life and mission of the Church.