I am thinking here particularly of celebrations at international gatherings, which nowadays are held with greater frequency. The most should be made of these occasions. In order to express more clearly the unity and universality of the Church, I wish to endorse the proposal made by the Synod of Bishops, in harmony with the directives of the Second Vatican Council, that, with the exception of the readings, the homily and the prayer of the faithful, it is fitting that such liturgies be celebrated in Latin. Similarly, the better-known prayers of the Church's tradition should be recited in Latin and, if possible, selections of Gregorian chant should be sung. Speaking more generally, I ask that future priests, from their time in the seminary, receive the preparation needed to understand and to celebrate Mass in Latin, and also to use Latin texts and execute Gregorian chant; nor should we forget that the faithful can be taught to recite the more common prayers in Latin, and also to sing parts of the liturgy to Gregorian chant.
Benedict XVI
Sacramentum Caritatis, No. 62
***
Thank you so much and we will see one another tomorrow. And go forward with joy, with coherence, always with the courage to tell the truth, the courage to go out of oneself to meet Jesus in prayer and to go out of oneself to meet others and give them the Gospel, with pastoral fruitfulness! Please don’t be “spinsters” and “bachelors.” Go forward!
Now Archbishop Fisichella said that yesterday you recited the Creed, each one in his/her own language. However, we are all brothers, we have the same Father. Now, each one in his/her language, recite the Our Father. Let us recite the Our Father.
[Recitation of the Our Father]
And we also have a Mother. In our own language we say the Hail Mary.
[Recitation of the Hail Mary]
Franciscus
Address to Seminarians and Novices
July 6, 2013
NB: The address was given to no ordinary group of seminarians and novices, but to the main international gathering of seminarians and novices to Rome for the Year of Faith.
La langue latine
[Dans la liturgie:]
62. Ce qui vient d'être dit ne doit pas, toutefois, cacher la valeur de ces grandes liturgies. Je pense en ce moment, en particulier, aux célébrations qui ont lieu durant des rencontres internationales, aujourd'hui toujours plus fréquentes. Elles doivent justement être mises en valeur. Pour mieux exprimer l'unité et l'universalité de l'Église, je voudrais recommander ce qui a été suggéré par le Synode des Évêques, en harmonie avec les directives du Concile Vatican II: (182) excepté les lectures, l'homélie et la prière des fidèles, il est bon que ces célébrations soient en langue latine; et donc que soient récitées en latin les prières les plus connues (183) de la tradition de l'Église et éventuellement que soient exécutés des pièces de chant grégorien.
[De façon generale]
De façon plus générale, je demande que les futurs prêtres, dès le temps du séminaire, soient préparés à comprendre et à célébrer la Messe en latin, ainsi qu'à utiliser des textes latins et à utiliser le chant grégorien; on ne négligera pas la possibilité d'éduquer les fidèles eux-mêmes à la connaissance des prières les plus communes en latin, ainsi qu'au chant en grégorien de certaines parties de la liturgie. (184)