Holy Land war in thoughts of Christmas Concert singers
By Linda Bordoni
Thanking Bishop Paul Tighe, Secretary of the Dicastery for Culture and Education and the Gravissimum Educationis Pontifical Foundation for organizing and promoting the annual Christmas Concert, Pope Francis upheld the value of popular Christmas songs “that evoke a powerful blend of emotions and associations.”
Noting that “Christmas is perhaps the holiday richest in popular songs,” he reflected on “the theology and harmony” contained in some of them, and expressed gratitude to those who continue to breathe life into this tradition.
“You lend your voices to these celebrated Christmas melodies, and each of you brings to them your own individuality, your own timbre,” he said.
An ancient yet ever-new message
The Pope reflected on the “ancient yet ever new” message of the birth of Jesus, the Saviour, and the “different voices, from all over the world, that come together to make it heard.”
He pointed to the variety of styles that exist in communicating this message that, he said, reflect a diversity of cultures and languages.
No single standard
“Precisely because the Good News of Christmas is unique, it cannot be sung in just one way,” he added, noting that too often, “In our technocratic societies, everything tends to become uniform, homogenized, reduced to a single standard.”
And decrying the fact that commercialisation and consumerism sadly overcome the celebration of Christmas, he said: “Art is different, and Christmas songs must be sung with the art that stems from the heart.”
War in the Land of Jesus
Pope Francis concluded his greeting saying that he knows the singers will be thinking of all those who are presently living in sorrow and fear on account of war.
“So many wars! Tragically, even in the land of Jesus,” he concluded, thanking them for their witness.
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