There is an incredible
body of sacred music that is beautiful, whether one believes in a god or not.
Catholic art, along with the rich
tradition of sacred music, continues to speak to people of differing cultural and religious backgrounds.
Whitney Houston's mom, Cissy Houston - herself a renowned gospel singer - was
director of sacred music at the church for 54 years and is still a member there.
Those who attend papal Masses are struck by the
renewal of sacred music, the sense of reverence, and particularly the place of silence in the Liturgy.
Doesn't mean that I believe in the message of the lyrics; just that the great composers of the past relied on income from the church to survive and therefore wrote a tremendous
body of sacred music.