Pope John Paul II Recommends Wider use of Latin

VATICAN, Feb 21, 02 -- Pope John Paul II has recommended the use of Latin in the Roman liturgy and in seminary training.

In a message to a conference being held at the Salesian University in Rome, the Holy Father emphasized that Latin remains the official language of the Catholic Church, and expressed his desire that "the love of that language would grow ever strong among candidates for the priesthood." The Pope's message itself was written in Latin, and read by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican Secretary of State.

The conference to which the Pope addressed this message was commemorating the 40th anniversary of Veterum Sapientia, the apostolic constitution in which Pope John XXIII wrote of the importance of Latin as an important part of "the patrimony of human civilization." Pope John Paul underlined the same message, pointing out that the use of Latin "is an indispensable condition for a proper relationship between modernity and antiquity, for dialogue among different cultures, and for reaffirming the identity of the Catholic priesthood."

                                                         *****

Pope John Paul II Praises Traditional Latin Mass' "Magnificent Prayers"

VATICAN, Sep 27, 01 - The liturgy of the Catholic Church must never be reduced to a merely esthetic exercise, Pope John Paul II has warned. Nor can the liturgical ceremonies be seen as "instruments toward pedagogical or ecumenical ends."

The papal message was addressed to the members of the Congregation for Divine Worship, who are meeting in Rome this week. The Holy Father reminded them that "the celebration of the sacred mysteries is above all else an act of praise to the sovereign majesty of God." For that reason, he continued, the first characteristic of any liturgy must be "a profound sense of the sacred."

The Pope also encouraged the Congregation for Divine Worship which in May published the instruction on liturgical translation, Liturgicam Authenticam to ensure that the prayers of the liturgy reflect the depth of the Christian traditions of piety. He cited as examples the "magnificent prayers" found in the rites of the Eastern churches, and in the old Roman Missal of St. Pius V.