Pope Francis endorses claim that US Christians are engaged in ‘ecumenism of hatred’

[exchemist]

Benedict was certainly a traditionalist, right down to reviving the 'ermine collar' once worn by the pope. I found his theology, which I have a great respect for, and his traditionalism a strange combination. But as far as music is concerned you are absolutely right. In his book, 'Feast of Faith' he devotes a whole chapter to liturgical music. "A Church which only makes use of "utility" music has fallen for what is, in fact, useless. She too becomes ineffectual. For her mission is a far higher one. As Hebrew Scripture speaks of the Temple, the Church is to be the place of "glory".
The Church must not settle down with what is merely comfortable and serviceable at the parish level, she must arouse the voice of the cosmos itself and by glorifying the Creator, elicit the glory of the cosmos itself, making it also glorious, beautiful, habitable and beloved. To ask what is "suitable" must always be the same as asking what is "worthy", it must constantly challenge us to seek what is "worthy" of the Church's worship. Are we to compel people to sing when they cannot, and, by doing so, silence not only their hearts but the hearts of others too?

source 'Feast of Faith'

I agree with a lot of this, though I feel he is a bit unambitious in the bit about "compelling" people to sing. Martin Luther made congregational singing part of his style of worship, and he was onto something. I have read that this is what made Germany such a pre-eminent musical nation in the Baroque era. To this day there is a strong tradition of hymn singing in Anglican England, though not in the Catholic churches here. Our local parish church is something of an exception - I have done my bit in the choir over the years to promote good traditional hymns and plainchant. The Missa Cum Jubilo, which I think the best of them, is now a regular fixture and the congregation joins in a bit at least. Here is the Gloria:

And we get 4 part motets sung at communion, which is nice.

What I suspect Benedict is getting at is the hideous legacy of of lousy 1960s "easy to sing" hymns, mass produced after Vatican II like sliced bread, by indifferent writers, and about as interesting. For anyone with any aesthetic musical sense, these are an affront and an embarrassment.