From the Telegraph comes this story about Papa Ratzinger’s plan to return to more sacred music in Masses at the Vatican.

After reintroducing the Latin Tridentine Mass, the Pope wants to widen the use of Gregorian chant and baroque sacred music.

Gregorian chant has been reinstituted as the primary form of singing by the new choir director of St Peter’s, Father Pierre Paul.

He has also broken with the tradition set up by John Paul II of having a rotating choir, drawn from churches all over the world, to sing Mass in St Peter’s.

He added that a pontifical office could correct the abuses, and would be “opportune”. He said: “Due to general ignorance, especially in sectors of the clergy, there exists music which is devoid of sanctity, true art and universality.”

Okay, I will gladly admit it.  As a guy who came of age in the late ’90s, I do enjoy “praise and worship” style music, but now that I am Catholic I recognize that there are problems with that style of music within the context of the Mass – because it’s not sacred.  It’s nearly rock music.  That having been said, I do have a distaste for some of the vapid, meaningless stuff that’s in the missallette created by the minds of those like Haugen and Haas.  When I have the chance, I would like to attend a TLM, and I will also be interested to see how the mood is different when sacred music and chant are used as opposed to what we have nowadays.  I’m pleased that at my parish, we are somehow able to come off with really reverent renditions of some of the ’70s stuff, thanks to a very talented organist and a choir director who won’t guve up his principals.

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