In favor of a renewed vigor of Latin in the Church
At the Vatican on November 28, the pope received the organizers of and the participants in the competition, Certanem Vaticanum aimed at promotion of the use of Latin. Speaking in the language of St. Augustine, the pope urged his audience to “not only preserve,” but also “to teach and spread Latin literature, particularly among the young.” Benedict XVI also invited the Church to “revive the custom of the Latin tongue,” stressing that “this role fell to the Latinitas Foundation. Then the pope expressed a wish that “the great treasures” of Latin “would not be lost” and that “the use of this illustrious instrument” would not disappear.
Finally, Benedict XVI paid tribute to the winners of the Certamen Vaticanum prize promoted by the Foundation Latinitas. This prize, which is celebrating its 48th year, came from the desire of Pius XII to encourage the study of the Classical texts and the production of new works in Latin.
The Vatican Foundation Latinitas was set up in June 1976, by Paul VI. Its objective is the promotion, through various initiatives, of the study of the language and of Latin literature, classical and Christian, as well as the use of Latin in the cultural ecclesiastical world.
