Pope Benedict on Saturday started a new Vatican department to promote the study and use of Latin in the Roman Catholic Church and beyond. The old-style Latin Mass was phased out more than 40 years ago in favour of local languages, but the pope is giving it another try. 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 announcing the new department, the pope said Latin was the subject of renewed interest around the world and the purpose of the academy was to encourage further growth. He said Catholic seminarians studying for the priesthood were weak in studies of the humanities in general and Latin in particular.
They would benefit from being able to read ancient texts in the original, he said.
