Pope Benedict honoured with musical concert for 60th anniversary of priesthood

(Aug.10, 2011) In honour of the 60th anniversary of the priesthood of Pope Benedict XVI and his brother, Msgr. Georg Ratzinger, a concert was held Tuesday evening at Castelgandolfo, the papal summer residence some 30 kms outside Rome, where the Holy Father is presently spending his vacation. German musician Albrecht Mayer of Berlin’s Philharmonic Orchestra directed the concert that contained famous musical pieces from Johann Sebastian Bach, Antonio Vivaldi and Amadeus Mozart. The concert was well attended by Cardinals, bishops, priests and Italy’s government officials. “The wonderful music still echoes in our hearts” Pope Benedict said at the end of the concert, thanking all the musicians for their splendid performance.The Pope particularly thanked musician Mayer who presented the concert under the motto “What God does is well done”. The Pope said he was greatly moved by the religious aspect of the music. He called Bach a beautiful architect of music because in his compositions, he said, everything is harmoniously joined together, almost grouped to produce that perfect harmony, which God has imprinted in his creation.