Question: What need do we have and what benefits does it bring to the Catholic Church, to sing Protestant songs within Mass? We are not Protestants! Some mention ecumenism, but I have not seen many Protestants attend Mass even if this were a good reason to sing such hymns. If we think about what the vast majority of Protestant composers think of our holy Church and of the Supreme Pontiff, we would not open our doors to say, as some people do, that if the text does not go against what the Catholic Church teaches, then there would be no problem in singing it at Mass. There are many singers in local churches who have very little or no formation in this field, and it is dangerous to open our doors to Protestant songs on the grounds that there are no documents explicitly banning them. There are many very vulnerable people who, when they hear a Protestant song, because there is no doubt that many of the songs are very beautiful, eventually might arrive at the point of joining the Protestants. I hope that the Holy Spirit will guide those who are in charge of this to make good decisions so that souls are not lost! — N.P., Nashville, Tennessee
