Wednesday, September 2, 2020 –
Right, so many of you have probably never asked, “what is the official language of the Church?”
It is difficult for Americans to wrap their head around an “official language” because we do not have one. I know, shocker, but English is actually NOT our official language. Several states have adopted English as their official state language, and there is usually a bill or two introduced into the House or Senate every year or so that gets shuffled around various subcommittees before everyone forgets about it. But, at the end of the day, the US has no official language. Sadly, we Americans also think the rest of the world inherently knows English. Truth is, most Americans are not that great at English, but I digress…
Anyhoo, Latin! Yes, Latin has been the official language of the Catholic Church for just under a couple of millennia. Indeed, in the fourth century, Latin was spoken the world round, and the Church embraced it. In fact, it was Pope Damasus I who commissioned Saint Jerome in 382 AD to translate the Bible into the Vulgate (“vulgar” or “common” Latin). Pope Damasus died two years after his commission, but Saint Jerome still finished his translation some 23 odd years later. Score one for perseverance!
Even though Saint Jerome’s Vulgate Bible was widely used from the 6th century onward, the Vulgate was not “officially” accepted until the Council of Trent in 1546. And in 1592, Pope Clement VIII issued a Vulgate Latin Bible based on Saint Jerome’s (with a little error correction, of course) that became the authoritative Bible for the Church.
But why Latin?
Well, one could argue that it was one of the most common languages spoken at the time. But it is more likely the Church understood the value of having a single language to unite us all, and why not pick from one of the three languages emblazoned on the Crucifix.
Remember, when Pontius Pilate issued the plaque to be hung above Christ on the Cross, he asked for it to be written in three languages: Greek, Hebrew, and LATIN! Hebrew is, of course, what the Jews spoke (Christ and the Apostles spoke Aramaic, which is close to Hebrew). Greek was a common language; in fact, the Gospels were written in Greek! And Latin, well, that was the official language of the Roman Empire, which by the way lasted until the 5th Century.
You all may be asking why is Latin **still** the official language of the Catholic Church. The Baltimore Catechism gives a great answer:
Q. 566. Why does the Church use the Latin language instead of the national language of its children?
A. The Church uses the Latin language instead of the national language of its children:
1. To avoid the danger of changing any part of its teaching in using different languages;
2. That all its rulers may be perfectly united and understood in their communications;
3. To show that the Church is not an institute of any particular nation, but the guide of all nations.
So there you have it! Latin is still a language, and it is still the official language of the Church. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!
Side note: Priests are **still** required to know Latin. It may surprise you (and your Priest), but yes, Canon Law is quite clear on this one:
Canon 249. The program of priestly formation is to provide that students not only are carefully taught their native language but also understand Latin well and have a suitable understanding of those foreign languages which seem necessary or useful for their formation or for the exercise of pastoral ministry.
#LatinIsALanguage
Saint Perpetua, pray for us!
