The Pope approved new General and Personnel Regulations for the Roman Curia, effective January 1, 2026, adapting Vatican body functions to the Praedicate Evangelium constitution. The regulations, approved for five years, aim to establish an 'ecclesial service' with a pastoral and missionary focus. A significant change allows documents to be drafted in languages other than Latin, such as Italian, English, or Spanish. The regulations introduce measures to prevent nepotism, restricting the hiring of relatives within Vatican offices. Lay employees will undergo a probationary period before permanent hiring or termination.
14 days ago
Pope Leo XIV has approved the new General and Personnel Regulations for the Roman Curia, effective January 1, 2026.1 2 3 These rules adapt the Vatican's internal operations to the 2022 apostolic constitution Praedicate Evangelium by Pope Francis and are implemented on a five-year trial basis.1 2 3 The aim is to foster a pastoral and missionary approach in ecclesial service.1 2 3
A major innovation allows curial institutions to draft documents in Latin or other languages, marking a departure from the previous default use of Latin for internal papers.1 2 3 This change accommodates languages common in the Curia, including Italian, English—Pope Leo XIV's native tongue—and Spanish, which he speaks fluently from his time in Peru.1 2 3 The reform is described as historic, enabling more direct and efficient communication within the multilingual Vatican environment.1 2 3
The regulations prohibit hiring blood relatives up to the fourth degree or relatives by marriage in the first and second degrees within the same Vatican entity.1 2 3 Candidates must demonstrate virtue, prudence, knowledge, and relevant experience.1 2 3 Lay employees face a mandatory one-year probationary period, extendable to two years at most, after which they must receive permanent contracts or be dismissed.1 2 3
Senior officials and executives must submit biennial declarations confirming no ownership of assets in tax havens or shares in companies opposing Church social doctrine, such as those in arms or abortion sectors.1 2 3 Non-submission or false declarations constitute serious disciplinary offenses.1 2 3 These measures aim to enhance accountability and align personal finances with Catholic ethical standards.1 2 3
The standard workweek is set at a minimum of 36 hours, with maternity leave starting three months before delivery and lasting three months after.1 2 3 Employees receive 158 hours of annual leave and must maintain strict professional confidentiality, avoiding unauthorized public statements.1 2 3 For the first time, unified retirement ages are established: 75 for dicastery heads, 70 for lay staff, 72 for ecclesiastical and religious undersecretaries, and automatic termination at 80 for all roles.1 2 3
Examine Latin’s ecclesial authority versus modern linguistic adaptation
The Catholic Church has long revered Latin as a cornerstone of its ecclesial identity, serving as a universal language that fosters unity across diverse cultures while preserving doctrinal precision. At the same time, modern linguistic adaptations, particularly the introduction of vernacular languages into the liturgy following the Second Vatican Council, reflect the Church's commitment to active participation and evangelization in contemporary contexts. This examination explores the tension and harmony between Latin's authoritative status and these adaptations, drawing on Church documents that affirm Latin's irreplaceable heritage while endorsing vernacular use under strict guidelines to maintain the integrity of the Roman Rite.
Latin's prominence in the Church traces back to the early Christian communities, where it emerged as a language of universal communication, bridging the Roman-Hellenistic world and facilitating the spread of the Gospel. By the fourth century, it had supplanted Greek as the official language of the Roman Church, becoming the medium for key theological works by figures such as St. Ambrose, St. Augustine, St. Leo the Great, and Pope St. Gregory the Great. This shift was not merely practical; Latin embodied the Church's missionary dynamism, evangelizing vast regions and influencing modern European languages like Italian, Spanish, and French. Its stability—where words retain consistent meanings across generations—made it ideal for articulating Catholic doctrine, as seen in the Vulgate Bible's declaration as "authentic" at the Council of Trent and reaffirmed at Vatican I.
The Church's magisterium has consistently upheld Latin as its "maternal voice," essential for instructing the faithful worldwide. Pope John XXIII's Veterum Sapientia emphasized that Latin serves as a uniform instrument of communication between the Apostolic See and the Latin Rite Churches, used by Roman Pontiffs and Curial congregations for decrees affecting the universal Church. This authority extends to ecumenical councils, where, from the First Lateran Council (1123) onward, canons and decrees have been formulated in Latin, ensuring doctrinal continuity. Even after the Western Roman Empire's fall, the Church of Rome positioned itself as Latin's custodian in theology, liturgy, formation, and knowledge transmission.
In the liturgical sphere, Latin's authority underscores the Roman Rite's universality, allowing all peoples to feel at home without cultural dominance. The Catholic Encyclopedia describes the Latin Church as the vast portion of the Catholic body submitting to the Pope not only as supreme head but also as patriarch, with the Roman Rite prevailing throughout its territories—from Western Europe to colonized lands like America and Australia. This rite's uniformity, rooted in Latin, follows the principle that local bishops adopt their patriarch's rite, reinforcing ecclesial cohesion. Pope Benedict XVI's Latina Lingua reiterated this esteem, noting Latin's capacity to convey the Gospel message globally, as encouraged by Blessed John XXIII. Thus, Latin's authority is not archaic but a living safeguard of the Church's lex orandi (law of prayer), which shapes lex credendi (law of belief).
The Second Vatican Council's Sacrosanctum Concilium marked a pivotal shift, permitting vernacular languages to foster "full, conscious, and active participation" in the liturgy, a right of the baptized. Article 36 explicitly preserves Latin in the Latin Rites but allows its extension for readings, directives, prayers, and chants where beneficial, subject to approval by competent ecclesiastical authorities and the Apostolic See. This adaptation addressed the Council's recognition that mother tongues could bridge cultural distances, making the liturgy more accessible without abandoning Latin entirely.
Post-conciliar developments accelerated vernacular use: Pope Paul VI permitted the Preface in 1965, the Canon in 1967, and full Mass texts by 1971, following bishops' requests. Yet, safeguards remained, such as enabling the faithful to sing or recite the Mass's Ordinary in Latin and requiring clerics to retain Latin for the Liturgy of the Hours. Pope Francis's Magnum Principium (2017) clarified canon 838, affirming that vernacular translations, as part of the rites, become the Church's voice alongside Latin, but must render the original text faithfully to illuminate the Roman Rite's unity. This motu proprio emphasized collaboration between episcopal conferences and the Dicastery for Divine Worship, ensuring adaptations respect each language's character while nourishing faith.
Evangelization further justifies adaptation. As highlighted in Pope Francis's address on St. Turibio de Mogrovejo, effective proclamation requires cultural and linguistic immersion, such as translating catechisms into Quechua and Aymara during the Third Council of Lima. Today, this extends to digital languages, urging pastors to learn new forms of communication for the 21st century. The 2021 Decree on canon 838 reinforces that translations must form "liturgical" languages, maintaining the Church's singular lex orandi despite diversity, with bishops' conferences holding responsibility under Apostolic oversight. Liturgiam authenticam (2001) details procedures: episcopal conferences require a two-thirds vote for vernacular introduction, submitting detailed reports to the Dicastery, including rationale and affected liturgical parts. These norms prevent individualistic judgments, ensuring translations align with the sacredness of rites.
The interplay between Latin's authority and vernacular adaptation reveals both harmony and tension. Vatican II anticipated difficulties in uniting the faithful's cultural needs with Roman Rite unity, noting vernacular languages must evolve into elegant, profound liturgical forms akin to Latin. While Latin's stability guards against semantic shifts—unlike modern tongues where words like "propaganda" have evolved negatively—adaptations risk diluting this if not faithful. Liturgiam authenticam stresses that translations cannot be left to individuals; they must be approved by bishops' conferences and the Holy See to preserve doctrinal integrity.
Controversies arise in implementation, as seen in post-conciliar debates over Latin's partial loss, yet the Church insists on reciprocal trust between conferences and the Dicastery. More recent documents like Magnum Principium take precedence, refining earlier instructions to empower conferences while upholding Apostolic confirmation. In biblical interpretation, ecclesial authority mediates revelation, where Latin's precision (as in Dei Verbum) contrasts with vernacular ambiguities, underscoring the need for careful adaptation. Ultimately, both serve evangelization: Latin as a timeless anchor, vernacular as a bridge to hearts. As Praedicate Evangelium notes, the Church proclaims mercy through word and deed, adapting to touch human suffering while rooted in tradition.
Latin's ecclesial authority endures as the Church's universal patrimony, ensuring doctrinal stability and liturgical unity across centuries. Modern linguistic adaptations, guided by Vatican II and subsequent norms, enrich participation and evangelization without supplanting this foundation. By faithfully translating and adapting, the Church honors both her ancient heritage and contemporary mission, inviting all to encounter Christ in a voice that resonates universally yet personally.