This "rant" was a sarcastic response to a news item  referencing Pope Benedict XVI's opinion on church music.

The Editor: The June 28 edition of the London Telegraph states: "However, the use of guitars and tambourines has annoyed Pope Benedict, who has a love of classical music."

" It is possible to modernize holy music," the pope said at a concert conducted by Domenico Bartolucci, the director of music for the Sistine Chapel.

" But it should not happen outside the traditional path of Gregorian chants or sacred polyphonic choral music."
At first glance I thought the article was a spoof until I found it in newspapers from around the world. I went to my Bible concordance to check on the word "tambourine" and found nine specific Scripture references instructing us to use the tambourine when celebrating with our God. I did not find any references to Gregorian chant or polyphonic music in the concordance, however.

Some might say that what the pope declares should be taken as the will of God for us today as "he is the successor of Peter and Vicar of Christ on earth." This is the kind of argument that has been used on other issues when equally silly things are uttered by someone from Vatican City.

I would suggest a "passive-aggressive" response in which we don't argue but instead we just ignore such inappropriate comments or directives.

On the other hand, perhaps our Canadian bishops should arrange for one Gregorian chant choir and one polyphonic choral music choir to perform at a centrally located chapel somewhere in Canada and everyone who still expresses their connection to God in either of those musical modes could gather there and be in conformity with the pope's expressed wishes. --

Gerald Regnitter, Christopher Lake, Sask.