The Pope's Personal Milestones

The Holy Father Pope John Paul II has a vigorous, youthful, enthusiastic Church to celebrate this Pentecost in the year he has dedicated to the Holy Spirit, but he also has three personal milestones to reflect upon as the month of May — and Mary — comes to an end.

May 13 marked the 17th anniversary of the attempt on his life. An AP story reported the following day that “during his weekly general audience, the Pontiff gave thanks from the same spot where he was shot in the abdomen ... St. Peter's Square.”

“The Pope has credited the intercession of the Virgin Mary for his survival.”

May 17, the AP reported the Holy Father's birthday the day before it occurred, noting that the occasion had already drawn greetings from around the world. The King and Queen of Belgium wished him a happy birthday during a recent visit, as did working class Romans who he met within their parish.

Finally, the article noted that May 24 was the date on which the Pope became the longest-serving Pope in the 20th century: 19 years, seven months, and eight days. That's one day longer than Pope Pius XII.

Latin for the Children

In California, the ballot initiative “English for the Children” is stirring up controversy. If the Vatican's Father Reginald Foster were to run for office in his home state, he might stir up even more with a “Latin for the Children” proposal.

Father Foster works for the Vatican as chief Latinist for Pope John Paul II, and he sees his trade as important outside the Church as well.

As it turns out, reports of Latin's death may have been premature. A Los Angeles Times profile of Father Foster May 18 points out the following facts about Latin:

4 More than 60% of English words, and more than 80% of Romance language words, are Latin based.

4 About 50 academies devoted to the classics have opened during the past decade in America, teaching Latin. The American Philological Association says that the number of Latin students in universities increased by 25% between 1994 and 1996.

4 In Finland, you can hear Latin talk-radio, in Germany you can go to Latin clubs, and in Norway, you can buy a recording of the best of Elvis sung in Latin.

4 A British study showed that seven-year-olds studying Latin excel in spelling, grammar, history, and other languages, and a U.S. study shows Latin students scoring an average of 150 points higher on the SAT.