Vatican renounces exclusive use of Latin: new regulations allow proceedings in other languages

(ZENIT News / Rome, 11.28.2025).- When Pope Leo XIV signed the new General and Personnel Regulations for the Roman Curia on the feast of Christ the King, most observers expected refinements to administrative structure, sharper accountability measures and updated norms for personnel — all anticipated adjustments as the Vatican continues to absorb the institutional overhaul initiated by Praedicate Evangelium in 2022. Few, however, foresaw that one of the most symbolically charged elements of curial life would undergo a shift with consequences far beyond the routines of office work: the central role of Latin.

In a formulation that may sound modest but carries immense cultural weight, the new regulations state that curial institutions “shall ordinarily draw up their acts in Latin or in another language.” The wording appears harmlessly diplomatic, almost balanced. But within Vatican offices, the implication is unmistakable. By opening the door to Italian, English, French, Spanish and other working languages as normal vehicles for internal documentation, the Curia has quietly stepped away from the presumption that Latin is its natural tongue.

Officials acknowledge privately what the text only hints at: the switch will, in practice, mean the progressive disappearance of Latin from daily curial paperwork. The previous requirement — that acts be drafted “as a rule” in Latin — functioned as a kind of institutional anchor, linking contemporary governance to the Church’s ancient vocabulary. With that anchor lifted, routine documentation will now follow the linguistic habits of the staff themselves, whether that be the conversational Italian of Roman offices or the English that Pope Leo XIV has spoken since childhood.

Ironically, the reform arrives hand in hand with the creation of a new Office for the Latin Language within the Secretariat of State. Its purpose is not to restore Latin to its previous dominance, but to preserve what can still be preserved: careful translation of major documents, support for the drafting of texts that require technical precision, and stewardship of a tradition increasingly fragile in the age of global mobility. Rather than being the bloodstream of curial life, Latin appears destined to become its archival memory — indispensable for certain tasks, but no longer the shared medium of everyday governance.

This shift reveals a deeper tension that has shadowed curial reform for decades. The Vatican’s administrative engine has become ever more international, staffed by lay employees and clergy whose formation took place in languages as varied as Polish, Korean, Portuguese and Swahili. The expectation that all significant internal communication begin in Latin often produced delays, distortions or dependence on a shrinking pool of experts. The new norms recognize this reality with a clarity previous generations avoided: if the Holy See wants its offices to function with both rigor and efficiency, it must operate in languages its workers actually speak.

The change is not merely practical but pastoral. Documents of real significance — those intended for publication, for bishops around the world or for use by the faithful — must now be translated into widely used languages. This requirement places evangelization, not tradition, at the center of curial communication. The shift reflects a conviction long emphasized by Pope Francis and now affirmed by Pope Leo XIV: that the Church’s governance exists not for its own preservation but for the service of people who live their lives in modern tongues.

At the same time, the new rules widen the channels through which those same faithful may address the Holy See. For the first time, dicasteries are explicitly required to examine matters submitted directly by lay Catholics, and to respond after confidentially consulting local bishops and papal representatives. Here again, language matters: accessibility to the Curia depends on being able to communicate intelligibly with it. In a multilingual Church, that cannot realistically be achieved if Latin remains the default.

It would be easy to read the linguistic reform as a triumph of pragmatism over heritage. Yet the picture is more complex. The Vatican has not abandoned Latin; it has repositioned it. By institutionalizing a dedicated office for the language, the reform shields Latin from neglect while freeing the Curia from its administrative constraints. In effect, it protects the dignity of the language by refusing to let it become a bureaucratic obstacle.

The new norms also intertwine linguistic reform with broader efforts to modernize the Curia’s internal culture. Measures to curb nepotism, ensure economic transparency, professionalize contracts for lay employees, and establish unified retirement ages all point toward an administration that is more predictable, accountable and consistent with international standards. The linguistic provisions, rather than standing apart, are part of this same movement: they align the Curia’s inner workings with the realities of a global Church and a globalized workforce.

Whether this shift marks the beginning of Latin’s quiet sunset or the dawn of a more deliberate preservation effort remains to be seen. What is clear is that Pope Leo XIV has chosen neither rupture nor nostalgia. Instead, he has accepted that the heart of the Church’s administrative life beats today in multiple languages — and that governance carried out in the languages people actually speak may serve both the Church’s mission and the integrity of its tradition.

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