Old language gets new lease on life

Pope creates academy to promote knowledge of Latin

A copy of the Borgianus Latinus, a missal for Christmas made for Pope Alexander VI. CNS photo / Paul Haring.

Catholic News Agency reports that the Pope is launching a new Pontifical Academy for Latin, which will be a part of the Pontifical Council for Culture, to help priests and academics deepen their knowledge and ability with the language.

The new academy was announced in a letter titled "Latina Lingua." The document is known as a motu proprio, a phrase that means "on his own initiative."

"There is a danger of an increasingly superficial knowledge of Latin, also reflected in the philosophical and theological studies of future priests, in contemporary culture, and in the context of a general weakening of the humanities," the Pope Benedict wrote in his letter.

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