Pope establishes department to promote use of Latin in church

Pope Benedict XVI has instituted a new Vatican department to promote the study and use of Latin in the Catholic Church and beyond.

The old-style Latin Mass was phased out more than 40 years ago in favour of the vernacular, but Latin remains the official language of the universal church.

The Vatican said the pope had instituted the Pontifical Academy for Latin Studies, placing it under the auspices of the Vatican’s ministry for culture.

In a letter, the pope said Latin was the subject of renewed worldwide interest and the academy wished to encourage further growth.

He said seminarians were weak in study of the humanities in general and Latin in particular. – (Reuters)