The Latin Language: A Modern Argument

Many today say that Latin is a dead language. Yet one place where the Latin language has survived and even thrived has been the Catholic Church. Indeed from St Jerome up until our own time, the Church has been a flourishing ground for the language, both in its liturgy and its day to day work.

Catholic academic scholars may point to ancient texts of scholarly saints and patristic figures to emphasize the importance of the Latin language to the faithful. While these sources are incredibly helpful and may satisfy some; I believe a certain set of young Catholics would profit from hearing a “modern” argument for a revival of interest in the language of our Church. By “modern” I mean of course the era subsequent to the often misunderstood Second Vatican Council.

One such reference point for my argument will be statements from each Pope since the conclusion of the council, including our current Holy Father, Pope Francis. Furthermore, I will cite from the council documents themselves in order to demonstrate to those who may be wary of the use of Latin in the church (possibly due to its ancient and seemingly dead quality), the importance of sacred language.

Before I begin to defend the beloved “mother tongue”, (as documents of the Second Vatican Council so beautifully describe the Latin language), I must turn to one of these academic scholars mentioned above in order to explain why there is a need for a revival of interest.

 In 2015, Andrew Meszaros published a guest article entitled “The Importance of Latin in the Life of the Church” to the online journal  New Liturgical Movement. There he stated; “Three specific qualities, as St. John XXIII explained, make Latin eminently suitable for being the Church’s language: Latin is universal, it is immutable, and it is sacred. (Veterum Sapientia)”. Much like the Catholic Church itself, Latin is universal, unchanging and sacred. 

Each of the recent Popes have made some sort of defence for the Latin language as vital to the Catholic Church. In the same year that the Council was initiated, Pope John XXIII produced an encyclical on the promotion of the study of Latin. In his writing, he reveres many ancient languages that helped the church flourish, highlighting Greek as well as other sacred languages used in the East, but most especially Latin.

 He asserted in Veterum Sapientia (1962); “since in God’s special Providence this language united so many nations together under the authority of the Roman Empire — and that for so many centuries — it also became the rightful language of the Apostolic See… There can be no doubt as to the formative and educational value either of the language of the Romans or of great literature generally. It is a most effective training for the pliant minds of youth. It exercises, matures and perfects the principal faculties of mind and spirit. It sharpens the wits and gives keenness of judgment. It helps the young mind to grasp things accurately and develop a true sense of values. It is also a means for teaching highly intelligent thought and speech.” 

Pope Benedict XVI is another (well respected) authority on the Latin language. As Pontiff, he wrote the Apostolic Letter Latina Lingua. “In our time too,” he states, “knowledge of the Latin language and culture is proving to be more necessary than ever for the study of the sources, which, among others, numerous ecclesiastical disciplines draw from, such as, for example, theology, liturgy, patristics and canon law, as the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council teaches.” (Latina Lingua) Clearly, according to these Pontiffs, the Latin language is very necessary to the Catholic Church, even in our modern times.

Finally, even though he has personally expressed his own confusion at the increase of appreciation for the Traditional Latin Mass, Pope Francis has also exhorted the mother tongue of the Church as a beautiful and necessary subject. An obvious example would be when he spoke to the Augustinian order in September last year. At that meeting he said; “To be modern, some believe that it is necessary to break away from the roots. And this is their ruin, because the roots, the tradition, are the guarantee of the future”. 

This, I think, is very wise in a number of ways. Not only was it a special message to an ancient order within the Church, but rather it applies to all Traditions within our faith, including our Traditional language. Thus, to turn away from Latin would be our ruin. Additionally, in 2017 Pope Francis sent a message to the XXII (22nd) Solemn Public Session of the Pontifical Academies. Celebrating their theme for the year “In interiore homine. Research paths in the Latin tradition”, Pope Francis exhorts academics to know how to reach young hearts, in order to pass along the “rich heritage of the Latin tradition.”

Bringing this all back to the Second Vatican Council seems to me a fitting way to conclude my argument for the necessity of the Latin language in contemporary times. After all, the second Vatican Council is considered to be the turning point in Catholic history from a rigid traditionalism to a new dawn of the acceptance and embracement of modernity. 

So, as they say, “in the spirit” of the Second Vatican Council, let us explore what Latin means to the modern-day Catholic. The document on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium will do nicely. As stated earlier, this text refers to the Latin language as the “mother tongue.” For what other reason could that title be granted besides its significance? The first mention of the language in the document declares that “the use of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rites.” (36.1) This statement confirms that the thought of the Council was that Latin must be retained in the liturgy. “In accordance with the centuries-old tradition of the Latin rite, the Latin language is to be retained by clerics in the divine office.” (101.1) Not only is it to remain in public liturgy, but also by clergy in their daily prayers. 

According to the leaders of the Second Vatican Council, whose aims were to adapt the liturgy to modern times, Latin is a very necessary language to the Catholic Church and ought to be respected and even treasured as such.

Martina Kelly

December 2019