The Latin Church

From Harry Mount, writing for the Telegraph:

Thank God for the Catholic church – and I speak as an agnostic Anglican. Once again, they are helping to preserve the study of Latin in Western Europe, as they have for more than a millennium.

Pope Benedict is about to set up a new body, the Pontificia Academia Latinitatis, which will study and promote the language in schools and churches.

The role of Latin has declined in the Catholic church since Vatican II but it still remains the official language of the Vatican – and the role of the church in the survival of Latin is incalculable.