Well, they’ll have to learn it in one of the many high schools and universities which teach Latin and prior to entering the seminary. Or they can learn it on the internet. Rules are rules. I don’t think the excuse “no one knows Latin” or “they don’t do it so why should I” works well anymore.
Actually the encyclical directs that Latin be taught in the seminary, not that the language be a prerequesite for admission to the seminary.
You haven’t asked anything wrong, and I’m sorry if anyone made you feel that way.
I’m trying to figure out what the point of that comment was. It didn’t seem to answer any of the OP’s questions. Rather, it seemed to aim to make him/her feel dumb. I certainly hope that wasn’t your intention.Gee, I always thought the Latin mass was pretty easy to understand.
~ Pius :knight1:
the reason Latin is used is because it’s a universal language of the Church, and to protect from incorrect translationsPersonally I don’t think there is such a thing as a correct translation. It’s pretty much an educated guess at best.
But if you really want to learn a new language, you need to use it every day. Hearing the vernacular just reinforces the vernacular and what do you learn? For well over 1600 years, Catholics were okay with the Mass completely immersed in the Latin, but explained (not translated, big difference) in the vernacular. The Protestants thought that Latin should not be used at all and thus this led to different beliefs and denominations.
Post of the year?
Sure, if someone really desired to learn Latin, I would certainly recommend that they attend a Mass in Latin often (preferably every day).
Assume positive intent. It was not my intention, and it was to simply express that:
I don’t see how it could be easy for a native speaker of a Germanic language to understand Latin without study and practice. I’m glad that you can.
A Germanic or barbaric-based language, to be sure. But since Beowulf, the English language has been enhanced with many Latin terms, words, stems, grammar, and the alphabet itself, to make much of the Latin at least recognizeable if not somewhat comprehendible. It’s probably far easier for Anglophones to memorize and learn a few Latin phrases and prayers than, say, someone from Russia or China who’s never seen the Roman alphabet.
It’s not easy for a native English speaker to “understand Latin” without study and practice. However it is easy for a native English speaker to figure out the meanings of the most common prayers without any study, just by repetition and deduction.
I understand that the English language doesn’t fit perfectly into the Germanic family of languages, but it is a Germanic language nonetheless. I still do not think that the average monolingual English speaker would find “much of Latin at least recogniz[able] if not somewhat comprehend[able].” One might be able to pick out a few words, but I have trouble believing they could actually decipher an entire sentence.
Of course, anyone can memorize a prayer in any language by simply repeating it over and over. If I grew up praying the Our Father in English, and one day someone told me, “This is the Our Father in Latin. Repeat it until you know it by memory,” once I had done so, I would be able to deduce the meaning of the words. It would be the same if someone made me repeat the Our Father in Arabic. I was merely answering the blanket assertion that “Latin is easy to understand.” As a native English speaker, I disagree. Before I learned to speak Spanish, I could have read a paragraph of Latin and I wouldn’t have been able to tell you the meaning of the text.
It really depends on one’s intelligence. It really does. I never knew the word “pater” was Latin for “father,” but I was familiar with the sound of the word, and that it had something to do with “father.” I never knew that “noster” was Latin for “our,” but I was familiar with the sound of the word, and that it had something to do with being together amongst others, so I inferred it to mean “our.” I never knew the words “filio” and “filioque,” but I knew the English word “filial,” so I drew the conclusions.
That’s great, but I just do not think that the average English speaker would be able to understand most Latin words and phrases. Personally, when trying to decipher a Latin word or phrase, I rely heavily on my knowledge of Spanish. I honestly find my knowledge of English to be of little help. For example, to use the phrase that you brought up, “pater noster”: In English, pater=father, noster=our. In Spanish, pater=padre, noster=nuestro. If I didn’t speak Spanish, I would have no idea what “pater noster” meant. “Pater” may have a vague similarity with “father,” but I am straining to see a resemblance between “noster” and “our.”
Beautifuly said. Latin is the true language of Catholic worship. We must remember (and correct me if I’m wrong) that even the novus ordo is a Latin mass in that it is, in its original state, to be said compleatly in latin. Many dispensation for vernacular languages have been issued but it still supposed to be a liturgy with at least some Latin in it. If Latin is void from a NO mass, then that is an abuse.
I’m interested to see what others have to say about this. I’ve never heard of anything like that before. Where did you read this?
