Vatican introduces Latin website

London, May 11 : Latin, the Vatican's official language, has finally entered its website alongside Italian, English, French, Spanish, German and Portuguese.

Though Latin has faded from the modern church, it was used for saying mass and issuing important documents from the early days of the Roman church until the 1960s.

Pope Benedict XVI is now trying to give Latin a boost for some church functions and has encouraged its use in priestly training, reports the Telegraph.

The new Latin section on www.vatican.va is entitled "Sancta Sedes" (Holy See) and archives Biblical texts and other core documents including the catechism.

It also highlights the writings of individual popes from the 10th century John XIII to the present-day Benedict XVI.

There are also texts from the Roman Curia - the body that governs the entire Catholic Church.

ANI