Latin Letters Office
Encyclopedia
The Latin Letters Office is a department of the Roman Curia
's secretariat of State in Vatican City. It is well-known among modern-day Latinists as the place where the Catholic Church's documents are written in or translated into Latin.
, or in short Secretariate of Briefs, was one of the so-called offices of the Roman Curia
which were abolished in the 20th century. The secretary for Latin letters was a prelate or private chamberlain whose duties were to write the letters of less solemnity which the sovereign pontiff addresses to different personages.
, the office once known as Secretary for Briefs to Princes had been renamed more prosaically as the Latin Language Department of the First Section of the Secretariat of State. No longer headed by a Cardinal, it had lost some of its luster, but it remained the real communications hub at the Vatican.
Catholic priest and friar of the order of Discalced Carmelites
, born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
, November 14, 1939 (age 72). A noted Latin expert, he works in the Latin Letters Section of the Secretariat of State in the Vatican
. Father Foster became one of the Pope
's Latinists in the late 1960s.
’s latest encyclical, “Caritas in Veritate
,” was published in July, for the first time in living memory no Latin text was released. The Latin team was still working on the document, and the Latin version was published only at the end of August--after it had been sent by DHL to Father Foster's sickbed for corrections.
Roman Curia
The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Catholic Church, together with the Pope...
's secretariat of State in Vatican City. It is well-known among modern-day Latinists as the place where the Catholic Church's documents are written in or translated into Latin.
Secretariate of Briefs to Princes and of Latin Letters
The Secretariate of Briefs to Princes and of Latin LettersSecretariate of Briefs to Princes and of Latin Letters
The Secretariate of Briefs to Princes and of Latin Letters, or in short Secretariate of Briefs, was one of the so-called offices of the Roman Curia which were abolished in the 20th century. It had two small sections....
, or in short Secretariate of Briefs, was one of the so-called offices of the Roman Curia
Roman Curia
The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Catholic Church, together with the Pope...
which were abolished in the 20th century. The secretary for Latin letters was a prelate or private chamberlain whose duties were to write the letters of less solemnity which the sovereign pontiff addresses to different personages.
Curial reform
By the time of Pope Paul VI's reform of the Roman CuriaPope Paul VI's reform of the Roman Curia
Pope Paul VI's reform of the Roman Curia, in response to the altered needs of the Holy See and the Catholic Church as a whole, was achieved principally, but not solely, by his general reorganization of the Curia with the apostolic constitution of 15 August 1967.The Pope's aim, in effecting these...
, the office once known as Secretary for Briefs to Princes had been renamed more prosaically as the Latin Language Department of the First Section of the Secretariat of State. No longer headed by a Cardinal, it had lost some of its luster, but it remained the real communications hub at the Vatican.
Reginald Foster
Reginald Foster is an AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Catholic priest and friar of the order of Discalced Carmelites
Carmelites
The Order of the Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel or Carmelites is a Catholic religious order perhaps founded in the 12th century on Mount Carmel, hence its name. However, historical records about its origin remain uncertain...
, born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, November 14, 1939 (age 72). A noted Latin expert, he works in the Latin Letters Section of the Secretariat of State in the Vatican
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
. Father Foster became one of the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
's Latinists in the late 1960s.
Current papacy
Today, the office’s seven Latinists have a steady stream of work, and sometimes they fall behind. When Pope Benedict XVIPope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
’s latest encyclical, “Caritas in Veritate
Caritas in Veritate
Caritas in Veritate is the third encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI and his first social encyclical. It was signed on June 29, 2009, and was published on July 7, 2009...
,” was published in July, for the first time in living memory no Latin text was released. The Latin team was still working on the document, and the Latin version was published only at the end of August--after it had been sent by DHL to Father Foster's sickbed for corrections.