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"Well, a universal indult will only mean for you the continuation of ignorance of Latin so no need to worry."

In today's world, WHY would I want to know Latin?? It is irrelevant to anything I do or have interest in.

I simply don't understand this gigantic fixation on Latin. The Church switched to Latin from Greek for the very practical reason that it was the most widely spoken language in the "known world". And it retained the use of Latin because of it's conservative nature and the practical advantages for translation among the church hierarchy. In today's world, the language that fills both of those critera is ENGLISH.

And in fact, I would bet that most of the Church's "real business" today actually does take place in English (those "around the coffee pot" side conversations that are so important in any organization).

In today's world, WHY would I want to know Latin?? It is irrelevant to anything I do or have interest in.

You know Latin, whether you know it or not, or like it or not. A large percentage of English vocabulary is directly imported from Latin, or through the French language.

Here's a good quote from http://www.tldm.org/news5/latin.htm (I only use the quote - the website advocates a so-called "Marian apparition" that is not approved by the Church)

At a time when the Church is passing through an era of crisis and a period of doctrinal disarray, when the centers of higher learning proclaim themselves independent of the Holy See, a remark of Dom Gueranger, O.S.B., on the use of Latin, written more than a century ago, may gain again some curious significance. "The hatred of the Latin language is innate in the hearts of all the enemies of Rome; they perceive in it the universal bond of all Catholics and the arsenal of orthodoxy; against all sectarian subtleties..." (Inst. Liturg. I 402) The same thought appears in the Encyclical Mediator Dei (#60): "The use of the Latin language ... is a manifest and beautiful sign of unity as well as an effective antidote for any corruption of doctrinal truth." So it is no coincidence that the doctrinal dissenters, the moral muddlers and the loathers of Latin are lodging at the same address. (Homiletic & Pastoral Review, March 1991, pp. 64-65)

I simply don't understand this gigantic fixation on Latin

Mass...in Latin? Why in Latin?

Introduction to the TLM - Fr. Cooper (video)

Why Latin? - Fr. Cooper (video)

I simply don't understand this gigantic fixation on Latin. The Church switched to Latin from Greek for the very practical reason that it was the most widely spoken language in the "known world". And it retained the use of Latin because of it's conservative nature and the practical advantages for translation among the church hierarchy. In today's world, the language that fills both of those critera is ENGLISH.

Well then, I guess we can propose a English only Mass.

Latin persists because it is pretty close to the languages spoken in (up to recently) 100% Catholic nations. English was only spoken by a little island way up past France. I frankly thing English changes too quickly to be suitable.

Way back when, Latin was standardized in written and spoken forms. A written standard for any other language was unheard of until the recent epoch. Latin changed little through the middle ages, probably changed the most during recent times, but remains understandable from 200AD to 2007AD.

Sure its another language, thats why the Church allows vernacular Mass.

I would bet that most of the Church's "real business" today actually does take place in English

Try Italian, which is still much closer to Latin than English.

Almost 40 years later, and they still aren't using a correct translation of the Mass. Interesting, isn't it?

The bottom line is that Latin is considered by the Church itself to be The language of the Church, it doesn't matter what you or I or anyone else thinks about it. I don't want to argue with you but I do see great benefit to Latin and think if people studied Latin, at least for a year or two, they would do better linguistically speaking.

However, no one will be forced to say or attend a Tridentine Mass, I wish I could say the same courtesy had been extended to Catholics after Vatican II. when all the tradition and love that millions of Catholics had for the Tridentine Mass... was swept away. And so was much of the beauty of the Church, I just happen to include Latin in that beauty.

There are also those who think some of the teachings of the Church are irrelevant to any thing they have interest in, or that Shakespeare or classical music or whatever you want to put a name to has no relevance to their lives, doesn't make it true but they think, at least for a time, that it is true. You sound very young and if I am correct and you are, I hope one day you do see the relevance of Latin. I will mention only one. Catholicism is a dogmatic faith, the Church guards this dogma which has been handed down through the millennia. The use of a "dead" language like Latin is very beneficial because the meanings of the words do not change. Living languages do alter over time and rather quickly at times. I would remind you of our past president's tortured use of the word "is." My opinion is that Latin serves the meaning not the ego.