Don’t get me wrong it’s a beautiful hymn, however it was written by Martin Luther and at the time was basically the song of the Protestant reformation. So at what point did it become okay to be in our hymnals?
Because it is a great hymn despite the provenance. Besides, Martin Luther was a Catholic priest, it was just his politics that were off quite a lot. We shouldn’t ban certain hymns just because of politics, especially when the hymn praises God Almighty.
If [the hymns] are used widely by the faithful, they should remain relatively fixed so that confusion among the people may be avoided. Within five years from the publication of this Instruction, the Conferences of Bishops, necessarily in collaboration with the national and diocesan Commissions and with other experts, shall provide for the publication of a directory or repertory of texts intended for liturgical singing.
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