This year's Vatican humanities award, the Prize of the Pontifical Academies, confirms that Latin is indeed still relevant: its themes this year include methodological approaches to the teaching of Latin and the reception of Christian Latin between the medieval and modern eras. The winner will be chosen by Pope Francis and awarded a prize of 20,000 euros. The focus on Latin for this year's award stems from Latin's relevance to important Vatican documents, to the heritage of the Church, and to the preservation of religious doctrine in language that is both lucid and immutable. By promoting research in Latin studies, the award follows a long tradition of reinforcing Latin's place in the Catholic Church, as described in Pope John Paul XXIII's Veterum Sapientia.
Read more about the award and Latin's significance in the Church in the Catholic News Agency's recent report: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/the-catholic-church-still-cares-about-latin-64090/