www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News Canon law - Latin anyone?

Dear Friends in Christ,

I noticed on the EWTN news site an article stating that Rome has introduced tough new requirements for canon law degrees.

One such requirement is more study of Latin.

Is it just a temptation I'm experiencing, or am I alone in thinking about how relevant Latin is in modern times in dealing with contemporary issues in connection to canon law?

Alex

Alex,

Considering that the Canon Law is promulgated in Latin, it would be beneficial, if not necessary, for someone to have an understanding of the intricacies of Latin in order to be a canonist. I for one applaud the decision. But that's just the Latin in me :p

In Christ,
mikey.

Dear Mikey,

Bene! Optimum Est!

Alex

Although I have no problem with Latin (specially with the quite easy Latin used in the Code of Canon law to translate the original version in Italian) I would suggest Catholic specialists to study more Greek so that they would be able to read those Ancient Canons of the Local and Ecumenical Councils that almost everybody has forgotten in the Latin Church and that obviously almost everybody does not take into consideration. That's because of the ignorance of Greek, the canonical tradition of the 7 Ecumenical councils and Byzantine canonical tradition that you can find this so absolutely stupid canon in the Code of Canon law of the Eastern Catholic Churches (obligation of Eastern Metropolitans to ask the Latin “pallium” from the Pope of Rome, “omophorion” is not good enough) that should be found unacceptable by every Byzantine Catholic proud of his/her liturgical and canonical tradition: Can. 156 - � 1. Intra tres menses ab ordinatione episcopali vel, si iam Episcopus ordinatus est, ab inthronizatione computandos Metropolita obligatione tenetur a Romano Pontifice petendi pallium, quod est signum suae potestatis metropolitanae atque plenae communionis Ecclesiae metropolitanae sui iuris cum Romano Pontifice. � 2. Ante pallii impositionem Metropolita non potest Consilium Hierarcharum convocare et Episcopos ordinare.

Francisco,
While this might be a good idea for those who write canon law, I do not see any relevance for canon lawyers as they do not write it, but they must understand it (current canon law) which happens to be written in Latin.

To only read canon law in a language other than Latin puts one at a disadvantage as they must relie on the interpetaion of the one who did the translation. As it is a fact that when one translates something they must interpret it.

Also one must not forget that the Offical Language of Vatican City is Latin. Vatican City is the only place in the world where Latin is an option on the ATM machines.

David

Dear David,

Yes, the Latin ATM machines.

I wonder if the Vatican would issue access cards in Latin as well?

I can see the ads now: "Don't leave Rome without it!"

Alex

Do you believe that they really speak Latin at Rome? Latin in the Vatican is just a turist atraction.

So then, all documents out of the Vatican are not in Latin?

Dear David and Francisco,

My point in raising this issue was to make the point that perhaps an overuse of Latin in contemporary times is a sign of a desire to not be contemporary.

Perhaps I'm wrong.

As for speaking Latin, my grandfather was trained in a seminary where Latin had to be spoken.

He was my Latin tutor and drilled me in Latin composition and vocabulary.

But he would never accept anyone's criticism of me . . .

When my Latin teacher did criticize my Latin homework, my grandfather took it personally.

He went on his walk near my high school and caught up with my Latin teacher.

Now, he did not know, nor ever did learn, English.

So he struck up a conversation with my Latin teacher - in Latin.

When he came back home, he told me not to worry about that "Latin teacher" of mine.

"I tried to talk to him in basic Latin," he said. "Met. Sheptytsky would never have passed him in my time!"

Alex

All the document edited by the Holy See as far as I know are writen first in Italian (the mother or second language of most of the members of the Roman Curia and other Vatican institutions) and later are sent to a special department to be translated into Latin. The Holy See edit documents in Latin just for historical and prestige reasons. I suppose that most Cardinals can read a speech in Latin but very few can pronounce a whole speech in Latin without having the writen text before their eyes. The pope celebrates the Holy Mass both in Latin and Italian but he usually preachs in Italian or other moder language not in Latin.

Alex,

I don't think that requring canon lawyers to know and understand Latin is an "overuse". Now, requiring them to converse in Latin most definitely would be (kudos to your grandfather for being so, well..."cheeky", not to mention resourceful).

I like Don Francisco's idea that Greek should be among the languages a canonist should know, though.

Why don't we add a smattering of OCS to that, too.

Don't mind me. That's just the perpetual student in me talking.

In Christ,
mikey.

Francisco:

Within the confines of Vatican City, they do speak in Latin. And in English, German, French, English, Spanish, and in some other dozens of languages.

But, as David said, the OFFICIAL LANGUAGE is Latin. (While the official language of the rest of Rome and Italy is, of course, Italian.)

That is, the language of communication and diplomacy adopted by the Vatican City is the language of the Roman Church, Latin, which has been such from antiquity. (Did you know that the Vatican City is the only NON-SECULAR member state of the United Nations?)

Thus, canon laws, encyclicals, decrees, and all other official documents emanating from Rome (the Vatican part) are rendered originally in Latin and then translated into other languages appropriate to Catholic Churches worldwide.

It is, therefore, not surprising at all that the original language of the "Code of Canon Laws for the Eastern Churches" promulgated in 1990 was originally in Latin. There are now various translations, including in English by the Canon Law Society (of America), I think.

Canonists, or lawyers especializing in Church laws, have to be well-versed in Latin to be able to capture the nuances in the original language of a provision of Church law.

Perhaps, this was one of the reasons why Rome, in addition to extending the curriculum from 2 to 3 years, has decreed that students and seminarians intending to earn licentiates in Canon Law must learn Latin.

AmdG

By the way, the web-site of the Holy See is not in Latin (http://www.vatican.va/). I just wonder why do not they use Latin in their webpage if they are so fluent in the language of Cicero and Saint Agustin? By the way do you know which is the Latin dialect used in the Vatican (Cicer's Latin, Caesar's Latin, Medieval Latin)? Just imagine that someone is born and grews up in the Vatican, would Latin be his mother language? Obviously, not. Latin is spoken in the Vatican City in the same way ancient Greek is spoken in the Ecumenical Patriarchate or in the Holy Mountain (only for Liturgy, solem speaches and official documents).

Dear Mikey,

That's O.K. - learning Latin and Greek and OCS teaches us character!

We understand our modern languages better too.

The Cantor who worked with my grandfather and his assistant was very snoopy.

The two priests would write notes to each other in Latin to prevent the Cantor from finding out what they were up, when they would take vacation etc.

One day I saw the Cantor holding just such a Latin note and smiling.

When I stared at him, he said, "They don't know I went to the same seminary they did but without getting ordained."

Alex

Francisco:

Try accessing the Vatican's website and see for yourself.

Either I am blind or Latin is the normative and informative language used therein.

AmdG