Latin in the Public Sphere
As the Church and the world mourns the death of Pope Francis, a rare moment for the general public to encounter Ecclesiastical Latin has presented itself. However, knowledge of Latin is not a given for clergy and journalists today. Thus, for those who are not Latinists, this occasion has already led to mistakes in announcements and posts covering the subject. VSI has created the following guide to help you understand and correctly use common Latin phrases related to the death of a pope. The pronunciations given are based on conventions of American English.
6 Useful Phrases (and Common Mistakes)
1) Requiescat in pace (very often abbreviated just as RIP). = “May he rest in peace.” Note the -at on the end of requiescat and the -e on the end of pace.
[Pronounce it reh-kwee-ESS-caht in PAH-chay]
2) Vere papa mortuus est = “Truly, the pope is dead.” This is the phrase spoken by the Cardinal Camerlengo formally announcing the pope’s death. Note that mortuus has two u’s.
[Pronounce it VEH-ray PAH-pah MOR-too-oos est]
3) Requiem aeternam = “Eternal rest.” Note that aeternam ends in –am, not –um. The m’s on the end of both words are there because the full phrase is “Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,” (Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord) which is the opening line of the Requiem Mass, the Church’s ancient funeral rite.
[Pronounce it REH-kwee-emm ay-TEHR-nahm]
4) Lux perpetua luceat ei = “May Light perpetual shine upon him.” This is also from the beginning of the Requiem Mass.
[Pronounce it LOOKS pehr-PET-oo-ahm LOO-chay-aht AY-ee]
5) In paradisum = “Into paradise.” Note that the noun ends in –um, not –o. This is taken from the first of the concluding lines of the Requiem Mass “In paradisum deducant te angeli” (May the angels lead you into paradise). In recent years journalists have started using it much as RIP is commonly used, e.g. “RIP John Smith” = “In paradisum John Smith.”
[Pronounce it IN pah-rah-DEE-zum]
6) Sede Vacante = literally, “While the Seat is Vacant.” This can also be understood as “While the (papal or episcopal) throne is unoccupied” or even “during the interregnum.” The phrase applies specifically and exclusively to moments in the life of the Church when a bishop, archbishop or pope has passed away and his successor has not yet been designated. As a Latin phrase, it’s an example of an Ablative Absolute; the ending of each of the elements is that of the Latin Ablative case, which often indicates time.
[Pronounce it SAY-day vah-CAHN-tay]
VSI and Ecclesiastical latin
VSI exists to educate Catholics in the sacred language of the Church, which plays an especially important role in times such as these. Study with us to gain access to the treasures of the Church (such as the song In Paradisum) that are contained in the Latin language. You can check out our course offerings here.
