Replies

I am a Catholic of the post-Vatican II era. I have never believed the Lord holds it against me because I speak to him in English. Nor do I accept my prayers will carry more weight if they are in Latin.

Well, you're right, because He doesn't, and they won't. But the Catholic faith requires us to acknowledge the utility and appropriateness both of an ancient liturgical language, *as well as* the vernacular. Both are part of our long tradition, and both must be maintained.

The Council of Trent infallibly decreed:

If anyone says...the mass ought to be celebrated in the vernacular tongue only...let him be anathema.

The Council of Trent infallibly decreed:

If anyone says...the mass ought to be celebrated in the vernacular tongue only...let him be anathema

Not exactly:

Canon 9.If anyone says that the rite of the Roman Church, according to which a part of the canon and the words of consecration are pronounced in a low tone,[snip]that the mass ought to be celebrated in the vernacular tongue only[snip] because it is contrary to the institution of Christ, let him be anathema.

It does not work against the Sui Juris celebration of Mass in the vernacular, by other rites, as no person is saying that Christ requires celebration in the vernacular.

As a matter of background, a common objection of that time is that God was offended that Mass was celebrated in Latin, and was not understood by the laity, and that Fidelity to Christ required the Mass be said in the vernacular.

I could edit the 4 June canon:

Canon 2.If anyone says that the holy Catholic Church was not moved by just causes and reasons that laymen and clerics when not consecrating should communicate under the form of bread only, or has erred in this, let him be anathema.

and have it read:

Canon 2.If anyone says that [snip] laymen and clerics [snip] should communicate [snip] let him be anathema.

In this way, we could declare the Religion Forum anathema, but we all know we don't communicate here...

>> If anyone says...the mass ought to be celebrated in the vernacular tongue only...let him be anathema. <<

Of course, you would mean to point out the context of that quote, which is the Protestant assertion that the Latin Mass was ineffectual, because the worshippers did not necessarily understand what they were praying.