Why is the Roman Catholic Mass said in Latin?

Answer 1

Generally speaking, it's not. That went out decades ago with Vatican II. Some people do observe the Mass in Latin, and there is a movement among some Catholics to bring it back, but usually, it's just done in the native language of the area where the Mass is being celebrated. For instance, in my own parish, the Mass is celebrated in English at certain times, and in Spanish at others, because those are the two primary languages spoken here. Once in a while, we'll say the Sanctus, Gloria or Agnus Dei (parts of the Mass) in Latin, particularly during Lent, but the service is generally in the vernacular.

Answer 2

Most Masses these days are said in the vernacular (the language of the people). Latin went out in the 1960's during the Second Vatican Council. It's still permitted, but hard to find.

Answer 3

The Mass hasn't been said in Latin in most Catholic parishes since the 1960s. It's said in the vernacular now.

Of course, Lutherans have been saying the Mass in the vernacular for nearly 500 years. It's about time Catholics got with the program. ;-)

Answer 4

Most places, it isn't said in Latin anymore. They stopped that way back in the 60's, when my parents were young and starting to take their babies to mass. I was born in 1968, was raised Catholic, and NEVER saw a Latin mass.

Answer 5

"Latin Is Alive

Latin remains the official language of Vatican City, even though the language was dropped from Roman Catholic liturgy in the 1960’s. Specialists translate papal documents into Latin, but it is now little used within the Vatican itself. In November 1997, however, the pope lamented the decline of spoken Latin and urged its revival. Meantime, a group of Vatican scholars has completed an eight-year project that produced an up-to-date Latin dictionary. Modern terms such as “aerosol spray,” “airport,” “department store,” “taxi,” and “traffic jam” now have their Latin equivalents. Even the ubiquitous mobile phone becomes a telephonium cellulare. For Latin buffs there is even better news. A priest in Rome has now launched a Latin-language Web site on the Internet, reports The Times of London."

"During this period, from about the sixth to the tenth centuries C.E., a group of Jews known as the Masoretes developed systematic copying methods to preserve the Hebrew Scripture text. They went so far as to count all the lines and even each individual letter, noting variations among manuscripts, all in an effort to preserve an authentic text. Their efforts were not in vain. To cite one example, comparison of modern Masoretic texts with the Dead Sea Scrolls, written between 250 B.C.E. and 50 C.E., shows no doctrinal change in over 1,000 years.

In Europe the Middle Ages were broadly synonymous with the Dark Ages. Reading and learning were at a low point among the populace. Eventually, even the clergy, for the most part, became unable to read church Latin and often could not even read their own language. This was also the time in Europe when the Jews were herded into ghettos. Partly because of this isolation, Biblical Hebrew scholarship was preserved. However, because of prejudice and mistrust, the Jews’ knowledge was often not accessible outside the ghetto. In western Europe, knowledge of Greek was also declining. The situation was further aggravated by the Western Church’s veneration of Jerome’s Latin Vulgate. It was generally regarded as the only authorized version, even though by the end of the Masoretic period, Latin was becoming a dead language. Thus, as a desire to know the Bible slowly began to germinate, the stage was set for great conflict.

Bible Translation Meets Opposition

In 1079, Pope Gregory VII issued the first of many medieval church edicts banning the production and sometimes even the possession of vernacular versions. He revoked permission for Mass to be celebrated in Slavonic on the grounds that it would require portions of Holy Scripture to be translated. Completely contrary to the position of the early Christians, he wrote: “It [has] pleased Almighty God that holy scripture should be a secret in certain places.” With this as the official position of the church, promoters of Bible reading were increasingly considered dangerous.

Despite the unfavorable climate, the copying and translating of the Bible into common languages continued. Versions in many languages circulated clandestinely in Europe. These were all hand copied, since movable-type printing would not be invented in Europe until the mid-1400’s. But as copies were expensive and limited in number, an ordinary citizen might count himself happy to possess only a part of one book of the Bible or just a few pages. Some learned huge portions by heart, even the entire Christian Greek Scriptures!

In time, however, there were stirrings of broad movements for reform of the church. These were driven in part by renewed awareness of the importance of the Word of God in daily life. How would these movements and the development of printing affect the Bible? And what became of William Tyndale and his translation, mentioned at the outset? We will follow this fascinating story down to our own times in future issues."

Answer 6

It is a reminder of it's universal nature. No matter where you are in the world, you will hear the exact same thing and know what is being said. It is kind of a Pentecost thing as all that heard the preaching understood it in their own language.

Answer 7

I think because back in the day they spoke latin not Italian or w/e is spoken in Rome :)

Answer 8

It hasn't been since the Vatican II convention in the 1960s.

Answer 9

Because if the priests messes up his service, no one will know it

Answer 10

So you won't know or question what they say.