---
title: Priest Defends Use of Latin in Catholic Liturgy
url: https://www.faithfulnews.com/en/priest-defends-use-of-latin-in-catholic-liturgy
published: 2026-09-19T14:49:39+00:00
language: en
section: World Church
source: https://cath.ch/newsf/le-latin-est-il-la-langue-sacree-de-leglise-12-2026-09-16
organizations: Fraternité Sacerdotale St-Pierre, Fraternité Saint-Pie X
publisher: FaithfulNews
---

# Priest Defends Use of Latin in Catholic Liturgy

Arnaud Evrat, a priest of the Fraternity of St Peter, celebrates mass using the old rite in which Latin is used exclusively. These services, which include two Sunday masses and ten weekday offices at the Basilica of Notre Dame de Fribourg, are seeing increased attendance, indicating that a significant number of local Catholics appreciate this rite.

The Fraternity of St Peter is a clerical society of apostolic life under pontifical right. It was established in 1988 by priests from the Fraternity of Saint Pius X who chose to remain in full communion with Rome following the episcopal consecrations of Archbishop Lefebvre without a pontifical mandate. Upon its creation in 1988, Rome explicitly granted the Fraternity of St Peter the use of the 1962 liturgical books.

Evrat describes Latin as a sacred language used to address God, comparing it to liturgical vestments that differ from everyday clothing. He argues that because Latin is not used for profane daily actions, it serves as a distinct mode of expression that reminds participants they are experiencing a special moment. He further suggests that Latin connects the church to 1,500 years of liturgical practices in the Roman Latin Church, providing a diachronic communion with those who preceded current believers.

While acknowledging that few faithful understand Latin, Evrat states this is not an obstacle to participation. He notes that many use missals for simultaneous translation into French or utilize digital tools. To assist the congregation, he translates the gospel into French after it has been chanted in Latin. He argues that liturgy is understood sensorially as well as intellectually, and that Latin helps create a sacred atmosphere for contacting God, similar to how youth may intuitively feel the impact of English music without understanding the lyrics.

Evrat also highlights the value of Latin as a dead language that does not evolve, which ensures that theological notions, prayers, and the Creed remain precise. He points out that the decree on liturgy from the Second Vatican Council maintains that Latin is the liturgical language and Gregorian chant is the music of the church, though he notes that the council only suggested giving more space to vernacular languages without specifying how.

Michel Steinmetz, a professor of liturgical sciences at the University of Fribourg, notes that Latin has never been the only language in the Catholic Church. He explains that Eastern Churches use other liturgical languages such as Coptic, Greek, or Syriac. Steinmetz states that early Roman Christianity was multilingual, with Greek being the most familiar language in Rome during the first century. Latin became the common language of the West in the early fourth century because it was the language spoken habitually, eventually becoming a language of tradition during the Early Middle Ages as Romance and Germanic languages became dominant.

## This story in other languages

- [Deutsch](https://www.faithfulnews.com/de/die-rolle-der-lateinischen-sprache-in-der-katholischen-liturgie)
- [Español](https://www.faithfulnews.com/es/la-fraternite-sacerdotale-st-pierre-defiende-el-uso-del-latin-en-la-liturgia)
- [Italiano](https://www.faithfulnews.com/it/il-latino-come-lingua-sacra-nella-liturgia-della-chiesa-cattolica)
- [Nederlands](https://www.faithfulnews.com/nl/latijn-als-heilige-taal-in-de-katholieke-liturgie)
- [Svenska](https://www.faithfulnews.com/sv/prast-i-fribourg-forsvarar-anvandningen-av-latin-i-liturgin)
- [Norsk](https://www.faithfulnews.com/no/presten-i-notre-dame-de-fribourg-bruker-latin-i-det-gamle-ritus)
- [Polski](https://www.faithfulnews.com/pl/rola-jezyka-lacinskiego-w-liturgii-kosciola-katolickiego)