Part 2: How to Restore It in the Church

In Part 1 we discussed the pros and cons of Latin, and why Latin is vital today. We also examined common objections against Latin and the responses to them.

7. What Actually Happened

But if Latin is so good…

Why was it abandoned so easily?

This question should be posed to those who lived in the tumultuous era of the 1960s. Above all, to those who were directly involved in the post-conciliar reforms.

I did not live then. However, if we try to reconstruct the spirit of that time…

It seems to me that the Church arrived at II Vatican Council as if tired of herself.

In the 19th century, she had fought hard to preserve her influence, oscillating between ultramontanism and mysticism of dubious quality. She revived Neogothic and Neo-Thomism: this was good and right, but had no immediate effect. The modern world was marching off in its own direction, and faith interested it less and less.

The Church came to believe that her “ossified” external forms hindered her from being understood by society. She therefore resolved to change them for something more “modern.” Both Latin and the old form of Mass ended up in the firing line.

In this limited sense, the liberal Catholic historians are correct: while the letter of Vatican II reaffirmed Latin as the norm, its spirit did indeed nudge toward the vernacular.

This was a grave mistake for which we are still paying dearly. In the attempt to make the Church “everything for everyone”, we ended up with “nothing for the majority.”

I am convinced that the root of the problem was misdiagnosed, and therefore the wrong remedy was applied. If a dancer moves stiffly, the answer is to teach him greater plasticity, not to tear out his skeleton.

The problem did not lie in “ossified forms” but in the loss of vision – namely, the living sense of eternity.

The heart of faith, the immense hope it proclaims, is forever fresh and new. Instead of chasing modernity, one should have chased eternity. This remains true even now.

The Council would have borne far richer fruit if instead of being pastoral it had been dogmatic, focused above all on the Last Things: death, judgment, hell, and Heaven.

More about this in other articles.

Another factor that may have worked against Latin was power plays inside the Church. Translating liturgical books into vernacular gave national conferences more authority and more independence from Rome.

Finally, we cannot exclude deliberate sabotage. The Church has enemies; this is an objective fact. The attack on Latin weakened her significantly.

8. How Can We Restore Latin? From Above

If I had power over such matters (thank God I don’t), I would reintroduce Latin immediately, yet gently and gradually, in a series of manageable steps spread over a span of a few years.

Here is one possible roadmap:

Step 1. Issue a clear document on the use of Latin, quoting Sacrosanctum Concilium and providing practical guidelines. Emphasize that Latin is not a “nostalgic option” but official and living language of the Church.

2. Declare that any priest who so wishes may celebrate any of his Masses in Latin. No bishop’s permission is required; it suffices to pass a simple test on the Latin Ordinary.

Note: this plan concerns language only, not the rite. Cf. Disclaimer plaque.

3. Encourage and actively support the celebration of at least one Latin Mass on weekends in every deanery or major city.

After some time:

4. Wherever priests capable of doing so exist, the Saturday vigil Mass should become Latin.

After some more time:

5. At least one Sunday Mass should be in Latin. Encourage that several weekday Masses be in Latin as well.

6. Within three to five years, require every priest to master Latin at a minimally required level; in difficult cases, at least the basic prayers and the order of Mass.

7. Publish missals, prayer books, and liturgical books with parallel Latin/local texts.

8. Ensure that catechumens are taught, and tested on, the basic Latin prayers. Establish free Latin courses in parishes, encourage deeper study.

9. Over a five- to seven-year transition period, the Sunday Summa – the principal Mass of the day and the week – should become exclusively Latin.

Step 10 (final). Over ten years, most public Masses in the world – that is, those open to any random person who may walk in – should be in Latin.

Private Masses, celebrated alone or for a specific closed group, e.g. catechumens or religious communities, may remain in whatever language this group explicitly prefers.

However, if they invite outsiders to such a Mass, they must clearly notify that the language may be unfamiliar.

Here we can stop; or, if that still seems insufficient, we may add

Step 11. All Masses, including private ones, should be in Latin, except for communities or priests who submit a formal petition to the Holy See requesting permission to celebrate in another language within their closed community. Grant such permissions.

This step, however, is not strictly necessary – among other reasons because private Masses are difficult to monitor.

From Step 1 to Step 10, ten to fifteen years should pass.

This plan is only a rough outline, sketched in about ten minutes. There is no need to overly scrutinize it.

The Church has many intelligent and knowledgeable people who, when the time is ripe, will be able to produce a similar plan, but far more thorough and refined.

9. From Below

Until any of us becomes Pope, what can we realistically do?

• Learn the Ordinary and prayers, pray and sing in Latin, both privately and in groups. To recite most of the Rosary in Latin, you only need to know Pater Noster and Ave Maria.
• Provide a positive example. Speak about Latin kindly and openly to anyone who shows interest.
• Promote it in the parish; start or join groups for studying Latin or praying in Latin.
• Suggest introducing Latin elements to the liturgy, e.g. singing the Gloria or Sanctus. Offer practical help to the choir or celebrant.
• Whenever possible, attend Latin Masses (Novus Ordo or Traditional) and bring family or friends.
• Support good publishers. Buy, use, and give away quality Latin missals, prayer books, and resources. Show the market there is real demand.
• Support priests who incline toward Latin.

All these actions are small yet important, and in time, God willing, they will grow into something greater.

10. A Note on Phonetics

When restoring Latin, we must establish not only its vocabulary and grammar, but also a uniform pronunciation.

In the 19th and 20th centuries it became increasingly vulgarized, drifting toward Italian. As a result, even popes sometimes pronounced agnus as “anyus” and aula magna as “abla manja.” Thus, even the “eternal Latin” suffered a degree of profanation.

Such stories abound. I remember visiting a French monastery where the monks prayed “Our Father” in Latin. It sounded like patEr nostEr, kiE in chelIs. No comments – and that was a traditional monastery.

How exactly should norms of pronunciation be set?

It is possible to conduct a worldwide survey and choose the variant that most practicing Catholics consider the most harmonious. Or the decision may simply be made from above.

What matters is that a clear standard exists.

11. Conclusion

Latin is the backbone of the Catholic Church and one of her strongest assets. It remains profoundly useful and urgently needed even now. We should restore it to its rightful place as quickly as possible.

We can only hope it is not yet too late.

Omnipotens aeterne Deus, respice super Ecclesiam tuam, eamque clementer adjuva ut vulnera sua sanet et in pristinam virtutem restituatur: tríbue ut fideliter vocationem suam impleat et multas animas salvas ad te perducat. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

O God eternal and almighty: we pray, look with mercy upon Your Church, help her heal her wounds and rise again in strength. Grant that she may faithfully fulfill her vocation and lead countless souls to salvation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.