Article: No 'Yahweh' in songs, prayers at Catholic Masses.(IN THE BEGINNING)

Some standards in the Catholic hymn repertoire will soon have to be changed or dropped. Caught in the liturgical crosshairs are songs such as "You Are Near," "I Will Bless Yahweh" and "Rise, O Yahweh."

The Vatican is invoking ancient tradition and ruling that the name of God not be used or pronounced in songs and prayers during Catholic Masses and liturgies.

Specifically, the Vatican says to avoid pronouncing the Tetragrammaton--YHWH, the four consonants of the ancient Hebrew name for God.

"As an expression of the infinite greatness and majesty of God, it was held to be unpronounceable," the directive says. It points to alternatives: the ...

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