Beliefnet reports and includes this crazy story from Germany:
In Germany, once a great bastion of the classics, Internet help for Latin learners has even triggered legal battles.
A 15-year old boy has caused the ire of textbook publishers by placing his own translations of the Latin classics online to be downloaded by others.
For while Cesar's De Bellum Gallicum clearly does not benefit from copyright protection, abbreviated schoolbook versions of such texts do. And so one publisher is suing him for copyright infringements and causing his company severe economic harm.
Moreover, the publisher accused him of "advanced criminal energy" -- and threatened to have him dragged before a criminal court.
That is pretty crazy.
I am of the belief that every church should have at least one (Sunday) Mass in Latin. Not only does it express the great universality of the Church, but it makes it so much more convenient for travelers to participate in Mass when going abroad. Don't get me wrong-- it was definitely fun learning the Mass parts in French & Japanese, but when I spent only a few days in countries such as Germany & Belgium, it was nice to be able to attend Latin Masses and participate along with everyone else. Of course, that didn't help me understand the homilies... :/
I know that my mother-in-law got in trouble in her high school Latin class for "translating" more of the paragraph than the nun had actually put on the test, because she had memorized the translation... not exactly realated, but a funny story none-the-less.
I've always thought it was so neat that Catholics used to be united through a common language.It would be nice to see a return to our roots for parts of the Mass. I'm a big fan of things that connect us with past generations.
What gets me is when parishes bring out Latin only for Lent. What message does that send? Latin is somehow penitential?
Brandon, that reminds me of a funny story:
Last year at Holy Week, Jenny and I were at Mass at our parish. They sang the Greek Kyrie. There was a youngish couple in front of us (who talked and pet each other through the whole Mass), and during the Kyrie Jenny says the man leaned over and asked "Is that Latin?" to which the woman replied yes.