Latin in the Vatican

[Thomas Paikeday]

Yes, Latin is alive and well. Thanks Patricia Kuhlman. There's even a
regular news broadcast in Latin from Helsinki of all places.
T.M.P.

pskuhlman at JUNO.COM wrote:
>
>         I don't know when Latin ceased to be the "lingua franca" of the
> Vatican, but can direct Bob Wachal to the person who will definitely know
> the answer.  He is Father Reginald Foster, an American priest who has
> worked in the Vatican's secretary of state office for many years as one
> of the Pope's Latin language secretaries.  He also teaches Latin at the
> Gregoriana, the pontifical university in Rome and runs his own summer
> school for serious students of Latin.   I studied with Reginald and know
> him quite well.  I'm sure he'd be glad to answer your question.  You can
> reach him by mail:
>         Reginald Foster
>         Piazza San Pancrazio, 5A
>         00152 Roma
>         Italy
>
>         I can tell you that all important Vatican documents used to be
> promulgated in Latin.  Now the original of a document is written in the
> language of whoever is heading up the committee working on that document.
>  It is then translated into the other major languages including Latin.  I
> can also tell you that Reginald  Foster and his officemate converse in
> nothing but Latin.  The ATM machine near their office has the prompts
> written in Latin.  So, lovers of Latin, take heart.  Latin isn't dead
> yet.
>         Patricia Kuhlman (lurker)
>         Brooklyn, NY
>         pskuhlman at juno.com
>
> On Thu, 8 Feb 2001 22:19:01 -0500 Thomas Paikeday
> <t.paikeday at SYMPATICO.CA> writes:
>
> > This question has been begging for an answer for a day and a half
> > and,
> > as a lover of Latin, I feel bad about it.
> >
> > How about this conjecture for an answer: Latin ceased to be used as
> > a
> > lingua franca since the mid-Sixties, soon after Vatican Council II.
>
> > "Robert S. Wachal" wrote:
> > >
> > > When did Latin ceased to be used as a lingua franca in the
> > Vatican?
> > >
> > > Bob Wachal