Of Pascal Candles

For Easter, speaking of all things "light" with our popular 'Latin Lover'.

Con clave: closed with a key

Carmelite Father Reginald Foster shines the spotlight on Latin terminology relating to conclaves. Including the word conclave, language used on ballot papers and smoke signals from the Sistine Chapel!

Gravisssimum Educationis

On October 28th 1965 Pope Paul VI issued a declaration of Catholic Education by the title of 'Gravisssimum Educationis'. Father Foster believes it is a shame this document has so far largely been ignored. In a special way as the Council Fathers considered with care the role of education and how its influence ever grows in the social progress of this age. Veronica Scarisbrick quizzes Father Foster on how the ancient Romans viewed education.

Pontifex breviloquens : a tweeting pope!

As Pope Benedict XVI launches his first tweets in Latin on Sunday, January 20 thousands of people will have signed up to his Twitter account: “@Pontifex_ln” . Latin, the universal language of the Catholic Church, becomes the ninth language used for the Pope's tweets.
This event provides Veronica Scarisbrick with the opportunity to put all kinds of queries relating to this venture to our popular ‘Latin Lover’, Carmelite Father Reginald Foster who describes Benedict XVI as "Pontifex breviloquens".
As Father Foster explains a Ciceronian translation of all things 'twitter' is possible. He claims in fact that he almost jumped out of his skin when he realised that in his letter to Atticus, Cicero writes: ‘Breviloquentem iam me tempus ipsum facit’.

Pax Romana

Our popular 'Latin Lover' Father Foster picks up on a passage in 'Jesus of Nazareth: The infancy Narratives' in which Pope Benedict touches on the message of peace relating to the Roman Emperor Augustus.

The Latin Lover: the council years

Father Reginald Foster was a seminarian studying in Rome at the time of the Second Vatican Council. In Part 1 of this new series to mark 50 years since that council began he shares memories of those days, as well as his linguistic expertise regarding the council documents. In this first programme he focuses in a special way on 'Dei Verbum'.

@Pontifex: Would the Romans have tweeted?

Father Foster explains a Ciceronian translation of all things 'twitter' is possible. He claims in fact that he almost jumped out of his skin when he realised that in his letter to Atticus Cicero writes: 'Breviloquentem iam me tempus ipsum facit'.