Mgr. Louis de Ségur: Plain Talk about the Protestantism of Today [1868]

[Stone]

XX. Why does the Catholic Church speak Latin?


— Because she is apostolic; because she never varies her doctrine; because she is one and catholic.

1. The Church is apostolic. She is the Church of St. Peter and of the Apostles, and she has guarded with tenderness all the precious memories of the Apostles. When they parted for their mission over the four quarters of the globe, to announce to all nations the Gospel of Salvation, they found that two languages were spoken and understood by the two great divisions of mankind, — the Latin in the West and the Greek in the East. Hence they preached the Faith in Latin and Greek; their teachings and their constitutions were written in those two fine languages; and the Church has preserved these monuments with a religious veneration. This is the reason why her language in the West is Latin, and Greek in the East. Yet that, which in fact is a testimony in favor of the Church, is made the theme of reproach to her.

2. Providence had already disposed everything in advance. Latin and Greek became dead languages, and hence invariable; whereby they became wonderfully adapted to formulate the doctrines of the Church, which knows no variation, because she is divine. An interesting calculation, instituted on the changes of living languages, has shown that had the Church, instead of adhering to the Latin of St. Peter, St. Paul, and St. Mark, etc., adopted the French, she would have been obliged to modify the formula of the sacrament of Baptism one hundred and sixty times; otherwise this formula would never have expressed in the correct language the idea it must convey. By this we can form an idea of the transformations which the Credo should have undergone, to say nothing of the decrees of primitive councils and of ancient Popes!

3. The Church speaks Latin, not only because she is unchangeable, but because she is catholic, which means universal, and has to address herself to all times, nations, and countries. During the three or four first centuries the Latin was the language of the civilized world, and, although a vernacular language, it had that catholic, i.e. universal character which is indispensable to the language of the Church.

Whilst the world was divided into many nationalities, the Church still preserved her beautiful primitive language, and thus remained one in her forms as she has ever been in her essence.

Thus the Church speaks Latin because, first, she is apostolic; second, she is unchangeable; third, she is catholic.

But, it is objected, Saint Paul directs that in all Christian assemblies a language should be used which is understood by all the faithful. True, he says that much in his Epistle to the Corinthians. But the Protestants draw hence an objection which has nothing at all to do with the present question. The Apostle confines himself to the preaching, exhorting, and instructing the assembled faithful, which all, he says, must be done in the vernacular language. The word prophecy comprehends instructions, the speaking on things divine. The Catholic Church has invariably followed this apostolic command to the letter. Her bishops, priests, missionaries, and catechists always employ a language common to all, understood by all. They speak in the most obscure and poorest dialects in order that the Word of God may reach all understandings. The Protestant sects have good reason indeed to speak in vernacular and modern tongues. Languages of different geniuses, essentially variable, and forever changing, admirably express doctrines of such fluctuating characters.