Dana Ferguson (Reporter)
I READ that the Pope would like us all to speak Latin and that the Vatican is funding an academy to promote that objective.
The president of the Pontifical Council for Culture was quoted as saying that the ‘aim will be to promote the use and knowledge of the Latin language in both ecclesiastical and civil contexts …’.
It is easy to understand why His Holiness might want his ecclesiastical constituents to speak his preferred tongue – it’s like calling the bingo numbers in Latin so that Protestants can’t win.
But when it comes to the civil context, the fact is that Latin was long ago superseded by dialects that, more and more, developed in the technical world.
Times have moved on since Cicero and enough Latin words have already percolated into other languages so there is little incentive to take this backward step unless one is actually a classics scholar.
This entire scheme strikes me as yet one more example of the Pope attempting to impose Catholic Church ideals on the world at large.
We already have the bogus Vatican State interfering in UN issues by opposing the use of contraception in the battles against AIDS and over-population.
Maybe the Pope feels that if he can talk to us in his favoured language it will be easier to explain why his church continues to protect paedophile priests.
But, then again, maybe not.
Max – well-written! No, I don’t believe the Pope will say ANYTHING about the problem issue you state, in ANY language.
There would be astute Attornies in many countries who understand, even those languages he uses!!
I believe that many “leave the RC Church” because they no longer see it “in touch with the times” as people feel it.
This Vatican promotion of Latin use expands on that. Sure – let’s use a DEAD LANGUAGE!! Now that will get folks back into church & raise donations to the RC Church! ??? dumb.
Being born a RC, attending a RC parochial elementary school, being an Altar boy, Choir boy, awarded the Medal of Excellence and the Religion Medal on graduation – I was offered the honor of a Scholarship to attend a RC High School where I could study either Latin or Greek – duh!
Some “Honor” about 50 years ago – to study either of 2 dead languages…. I rejected the RC Scholarship & attended a very competitive, public technical high school in New York.
One of the best decisions I ever made. Times have drastically changed for people – the Church hasn’t GOT IT!