I've been toying with the idea of learning Latin ever since Pope Benedict said his first papal Mass in Latin. It is the official language of my church, not to mention the language of the Gregorian chant I so love—and anyway, how hard can it be? It didn't take much googling to learn that the standard text for Latin is Wheelock's Latin, which is so standard it has generated a number of helpful spinoffs, namely tworeaders, a workbook, a companion, and flash cards. I did take some Latin in high school and was surprised by how much Latin I could read after a semester of loitering in the back of the class, whispering with my best friend and ogling the fair "Nathanius." Obviously I must have done a few declensions during that time but I remember little more than "agricola" and "puella," plus the little known fact that the plural of octopus is octopedes.
My idea is that learning Latin will, among other things, help me keep tabs on the shenanigans at the Vatican. Although Italian is the lingua franca of the Vatican, I suspect that Latin will be given more prominence with the election of Pope Benedictum XVI. I believe his first papal Mass was an indication of that, and I'm not the only one to think so. This interview (via) with Father Foster, the Vatican's Latin expert, shows that he among others hopes for a renaissance of Latin in the Church.
With new Pope Benedict XVI a strong proponent of Latin - as a cardinal he said the language should not have been completely eliminated from the Catholic Mass - Foster now may have a well-connected fellow Latin evangelist ensconced at the Holy See.
…"Without Latin you are missing out on the whole of Western culture! Without Latin you should just stay in bed!" he exclaims. "The schools don't teach it! The church doesn't use it anymore! Latin is being lost, and because of that we are losing our history!"
…The future of the language, he admits, does not look bright. That is one reason for his evangelism for the language. People who know Foster say the colorful, offbeat persona he has adopted makes him more approachable than he might be if he were viewed as a stuffy and famous academic.
…… "I'm trying to help people who want to learn Latin," he says with a shrug. "But there is only so much one man can do."
Unless that man is the pope. Foster notes that the newly installed Pope Benedict XVI, the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, speaks excellent Latin. "The problem comes with those under him, the bishops, the priests, the seminarians," Foster says. "They don't have a clue!"
Though he recognizes it is unlikely, Foster says the language would get a great boost if Benedict XVI used Latin more than previous popes. "Latin is a beautiful and poetic language, and people would pay attention to it if the pope spoke the language, spoke it from his heart," Foster says.
…While I'm a big fan of hearing the Mass in my own language (thank you Vatican II), the geek in me likes that idea of learning and using a such an arcane (but important) language. It has been suggested to me that I learn Koine Greek so I can read the New Testament in the original idiom, but Latin seems like a less strenuous introduction to ancient languages considering how many Latin roots I know (including botanical Latin, plus some French and Spanish) and the convenient fact that the Latin alphabet is our alphabet.
Apparently Benedict's inauguration Mass (a few hours from now) will be in Latin, so I will get another chance to hear this language and decide if I want to take all the mystery out of papal Masses and Gregorian chant by learning the language. Votum mihi fortuna!
And get all your Latin news at rogueclassicism, including regular updates on Father Foster's activities.
