[narses]

Relations between eastern and western Christendom were also made more difficult by the lack of a common language.

Latin is the common language of Christendom. This text demonstrates why it is important for that commonality of language.

[TexConfederate1861]

It was the common language of Western Christendom....not in the East..

[Chancellor Palpatine]

You're kind of forgetting that your requirement for Latin dissolves in a literate populace.

That and its a dead language, spoken by no one in daily life.

[The_Reader_David]

Sorry, but Greek was the common language of Christendom, which no longer has a common tongue in the earthly sense. Or have you forgotten that the Holy Apostle Paul wrote his Epistle to the Romans in Greek? or indeed that the Holy Scriptures of the Church existed first in Greek before being translated into other tongues? that the Acta of the Ecumenical Councils were all in Greek and were translated into Latin only for the benefit of those clergy in the West who did not speak Greek?

That being said, however, Bishop KALLISTOS was refering principally to the lack of a common theological language, in the sense of common understanding of terms. Lack of a common tongue is no barrier to unity of faith as the Orthodox demonstrate beautifully: whether we speak or celebrate liturgy in Greek, English, Arabic, Romanian, Russian (and Church Slavonic), Aleut, Tlingit, Japanese, . . . we all confess the same Creed, hold the same doctrine, acknowledge the same Lord, celebrate the same Mysteries.

[Destro]

Latin is a late translation-Greek is the original language of the New Testament-Christos is a Greek word and no Latin equivalent exists.

[Flying Circus]

Greek was the common language of the church prior to Latin. Perhaps we could compromise with our Orthodox brethern by using Greek as the common language for ecumenical Christianity and keep Latin as the language of the Roman church.