Vatican: "Yahweh" Inappropriate for Liturgical Use

14-08-2008

Aug. 13, 2008 (CWNews.com) - The Vatican
has ruled that the Name of God, commonly rendered as "Yahweh," should
not be pronounced in the Catholic liturgy.

The Vatican directive will not require any changes in the language of
liturgy, since the Name of God is not spelled out in any authorized
translation of the Roman Missal. However some hymns may be deemed
inappropriate for liturgical use.

The Congregation for Divine Worship, in issuing the new directive, reminds
bishops that in the Hebrew tradition, which the early Christians
adopted, the faithful avoided pronouncing the Name of God. The Vatican
directive explains that "as an expression of the infinite greatness and
majesty of God, it was held to be unpronounceable."

In place of the Name of God, pious Hebrews used the four-letter
tetragammaton YHWH, or substituted the terms "Adonai" or "the Lord."
The first Christians continued this practice, the Vatican notes.

The Congregation for Divine Worship observes that the invocation of "the
Lord" in Scriptural text follows this practice. Thus when St. Paul
prays that "every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord," the
Vatican letter says that his statement "corresponds exactly to a
proclamation of [Christ's] divinity."

The Bible reflects the Hebrew tradition, and the Name of God is not spelled
out in authorized Catholic translations. The Vatican instruction says
that liturgical language should adhere carefully to the Scriptural
texts, so that the Word of God is "conserved and transmitted in an
integral and faithful manner."

However, the instruction notes, "in recent years the practice has crept in" of
using the Name of God and spelling out the tetragrammaton. That
practice should be avoided in the Catholic liturgy, the Vatican says.

The effect of the Vatican directive should be evident in the selection of
hymns, since some contemporary liturgical music violates the policy by
pronouncing the Name of God. The policy will also call for some care in
the preparation of variable elements in the liturgy, such as the
Prayers of the Faithful.

The
letter from the Congregation for Divine Worship, dated June 29, was
signed by Cardinal Francis Arinze and Archbishop Malcom Ranjith, the
prefect and secretary, respectively of that congregation.

In
an August 8 letter to the bishops of the US hierarchy, relaying the
Vatican directive, Bishop Arthur Serratelli-- the chairman of the US
bishops' liturgy committee-- welcomed the instruction, saying that it
"helps to emphasize the theological accuracy of our language and
appropriate reverence for the name of God."