Maybe “All are welcome” after all.

Less than a week after it took effect, Bishop W. Shawn McKnight of Jefferson City, Missouri, revoked his decree that blacklisted a dozen liturgical hymns from use in the diocese, the most popular of which is “All Are Welcome” by Marty Haugen, the diocese told the National Catholic Reporter on Nov. 6.

In its place, McKnight issued a new decree calling for a consultative process in the selection of liturgical music for the Diocese of Central Missouri. The new decree, issued Nov. 5, went into effect immediately and will remain in effect for a year, on an experimental basis, until the diocese’s musicians and liturgists can discuss it.

The short-lived decree, “Suggested Liturgy Settings and Prohibited Hymns,” also named three composers whose music was not to be performed in the diocese because of credible allegations of sexual abuse against them.

“The decision to ban certain songs and composers has led to lively discussion, including on social media, as well as stories and opinions shared in some Catholic media outlets outside the diocese,” McKnight told his diocesan newspaper. Missouri Catholicin a story draft emailed to NCR prior to publication.

An earlier story revealing the hymn blacklist was removed from The Catholic Missouria website on Nov. 6. Diocesan spokesman Jacob Luecke said the story had been removed so it could be updated with information about the new decree.

McKnight’s new decree acknowledged that the canceled version did not respect the Catholic Church’s synodal initiative to include the laity, or non-clergy, in certain decisions. On October 26, just days before the blacklist was published in Jefferson City, the Vatican released final document from the three-year consultation of Pope Francis on the future of the Catholic Church, calling for greater participation of lay members.

“It is now clear that a genuine synodal process of greater consultation did not take place prior to its promulgation,” McKnight said in his new decree.

In the draft article in The Catholic Missourian, McKnight acknowledged that there was a spirited reaction in the diocese to the list of banned hymns.

“It is inspiring to see such passion and enthusiasm for the music that enlivens our Catholic liturgies,” he said. “Whenever we see this kind of fervor among the faithful, our church gives us the perfect way to respond – a synodal response.”

The turnaround was remarkable given that the original document had been in the works for years before its Oct. 28 publication in a weekly chancellery newsletter. Eight days later, the original decree, “Suggested Liturgy Settings and Prohibited Hymns,” was published. A new one was created, entitled “Promoting active participation in the liturgy through sacred music”.

The new decree does not mention any banned hymns. While the ban on music from composers credibly accused of sexual abuse will remain in place, it does not name any specific composers. The decree stated that a list of such composers would be kept by the diocese and updated “from time to time”.

In the original decree, McKnight said, “All hymns by these composers are strictly prohibited from being used in the celebration of all liturgies in the Diocese of Jefferson City,” This is done, he said, “to prevent scandal from marring the beautiful celebration.” of the Eucharist”.

One element of the new decree requires parishes to familiarize themselves with four sung Liturgies. “He emphasized that parishes are not limited to four Masses,” said Fr. Daniel Merz, a pastor in Columbia, Missouri, who chairs the diocesan liturgical commission, said in the draft diocesan news article. “We just want to say, ‘Please be familiar with these.’ “

A setting for the Mass is the bilingual “Misa del Pueblo Inmigrante” (“Mass of the Immigrant People”) by Bob Hurd, which had a song on the banned list in McKnight’s now-overturned decree. Another set is a revised version of Haugen’s “Mass of Creation,” whose new lyrics reflect the 2010 lyrics. General instruction on the Roman Missal.

The new decree is still based on the 2020 document of the US bishops’ Committee on Doctrine.Catholic hymnody in the service of the Church: an aid to the evaluation of hymn lines”, which was approved for publication by the Administrative Committee of the bishops.

The 2020 bishops’ document cites six standards for determining that a hymn may be inappropriate: deficiencies in the presentation of Eucharistic or Trinitarian doctrine or in the doctrine of God and his relationship with people. Also listed as areas of concern were “a view of the church that sees it essentially as a human construct,” a doctrinally incorrect view of the Jewish people, or an incorrect Christian anthropology.

The synodal process outlined in the new Jefferson City decree will involve leadership in the diocesan chapter of National Association of Pastoral Musiciansa group of members of the US Catholic Church.