In Sandro Magister's explanation of why the new Compendium of the Catechism will include fourteen full-color sacred images, he notes Pope Benedict XVI's view of the matter:
The pope was just as explicit in this speech that he gave on June 28 during the ceremonial presentation of the new catechism:
"Image and word illuminate one another in turn. Art always 'speaks,' at least implicitly, of the divine, of the infinite beauty of God, which finds its reflection in the icon par excellence: Christ the Lord, the image of the invisible God. Sacred images, with their beauty, are also heralds of the Gospel and express the splendor of Catholic truth, showing the supreme harmony between the good and the beautiful, between the 'via veritatis [way of truth]’ and the 'via pulchritudinis [way of beauty].’ While they give witness to the age-old and prolific tradition of Christian art, they encourage all, both believers and nonbelievers, to discover and contemplate the inexhaustible wonder of the mystery of redemption, continually providing a new impulse for the lively process of its inculturation in time."Although the pope did not include music in his description of beauty, one can be certain, given his appreciation of classical music and chant, that he believes the same holds true for it.
