Latin or Italian in Vatican

[Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus]

Upon visiting the Vatican and hearing the pope speak on voyages in Rome I found myself wondering if the pope was speaking in Italian or Latin. I know it makes me sound really stupid, but I never come into contact with either language. I was pretty sure it was Latin but wanted to make sure. Even though I am not catholic, but presbyterian, I found the whole expereince quite inspiring, that whole area is amazing, just walking from across the Tiber and seeing that big dome in the distance. <p>THERE IS NO VICTORY WITHOUT DEFEAT, AND THERE IS NO DEFEAT WITHOUT VICTORY</p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

I'm pretty sure it's mostly Latin, especially when he's abroad, though when he's speaking to all Italian speakers, maybe he speaks Italian, too. (You Italians out there probably know that better than me.) When he speaks Latin, though, it sounds much like Italian, because the pronunciation he uses, the so-called ecclesiastical pronunciation, is really the regional dialect of Latin that wasn't closest to spoken Italian. If you want to hear a good deal of Latin spoken in that dialect, the movie <em>The Passion of the Chris</em> is all in either Aramaic or ecclesiastical Latin.<br>
<br>
Aaron <p></p><i></i>

[Dan Diffendale]

Actually, I think when he's in Rome he mostly uses Italian. Otherwise he usually speaks the language of wherever he's at -- he's an very remarkable polyglot. <p></p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

OK, perhaps I stand corrected. But he's in Latin for the liturgical stuff isn't he? (It's hard to tell when you're as much of an autodidact as I am and haven't enough experience w/ spoken Latin.) Spoken Latin (ecclesiastical dialect) and Italian sound an awful lot alike to undereducated, American, Protestant slobs like me...<br>
<br>
Aaron <p></p><i></i>

[Frank Miranda]

Quote:</em></strong><hr>But he's in Latin for the liturgical stuff isn't he?<hr><br>
<br>
Actually, no! It's mainly Italian in VC (and other languages as the situation warrants). You'd be surprised how little Latin is used now-a-days, some 40 years post Vatican II.<br>
<p></p><i></i>

[hansvl]

Well, for the state of health the pope is in nowadays, I'm not longer sure what language he speaks . it's just all "murmurmurumumr" to my ears .<br>
<br>
But it's always great fun when he does the blessing 'Urbi et Orbi' and makes best wishes in almost all languages. Particularly when he speaks Dutch: 'Dankoe voer die bloeoemen' (Thanks for the flowers). He's a real comic.<br>
<br>
Hans <p></p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

"Actually, no! It's mainly Italian in VC (and other languages as the situation warrants). You'd be surprised how little Latin is used now-a-days, some 40 years post Vatican II."<br>
<br>
Well, that's a shame; one of the things that I always thought was cool about the RC church was their preservation of Latin, but I guess they're not doing as much of that as I thought...<br>
<br>
Aaron <p></p><i></i>

[NightHunter24]

As a somewhat of a practicing Catholic I believed and still believe in the church being the successor to the Roman Empire. Why do away with what gave it it's unique identity? Latin was a part of that identity.<br>
<br>
Let me explain....I went to a service the other day said in my other native toungue besides english. It was said in spanish...well it was nice because going to church is very spiritual. But a while before, I saw a mass said completely in Latin. Sorry if I sound cheesy, but I was in total awe. I mean my Latin really sucks(can I say that?) per se. I managed to understand just a tad bit. My point is that just watching that mass on tv made me appreciate the solemnity of the Roman Missal as said in the Latin language. It sort of reminds you as a catholic your religious roots. The church as it stands today was born and bred in the Roman empire, it incorporated Roman customs into it's rites, and as such has carried the torch for almost 2 millenia. After Vatican II in the quest for modernization (which to a certain extent is totally undestood) the church, I would not go and say so much that it forgot, but that it's identity has been somewhat blurred as a result of doing away which some of it's former practices....and that includes it's minimal use of it's Latin.<br>
<br>
This is just a humble opinion on my behalf.<br>
<br>
<p></p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

I recently read an article on the Herald Triibune about a high ranking Vatican person --can't remember what rank, probably a cardinal-- who complained about the loss of latin even within the Holy See. He said that very few people could still speak fluent latin so as to have a normal conversation in that language with him.<br>
He's an American by birth, BTW.. <p></p><i></i>

[Dan Diffendale]

Father Reginald Foster, priest and monk... who is purported to be able to converse fluently in perfect Ciceronian Latin. He runs an intensive summer program on the Gianicolo. <p></p><i></i>