Is it in accordance to Vatican II to still use the titles of EXCELLENTISIMUS, REVERENDISSIMUS, EMINENTISSIMUS, etc. and their equivalent translations in different languages? Was there not an effort to give a new image to the Church taking away everything that still smelled of the quasi fuedal titles of Bishops, Cardinals.....?

Enrique

-- Enrique Ortiz (eaortiz@yahoo.com), June 29, 2003

Answers

to top, please

-- Enrique Ortiz (eaortiz@yahoo.com), June 29, 2003.

Jmj

Hello, Enrique.
I must say that I had not heard about any effort to do away with "quasi-feudal titles of Bishops, Cardinals", and other churchmen. And so I was not surprised when I found the following Latin words, at the Vatican's Internet site, in a 2001 Bulletin of the Synod of Bishops:

"Pariter fraternas preces fundimus pro nostris Sodalibus qui angelorum nomen baptismale sumpserunt. Ipsi sunt Eminentissimus Cardinalis Angelus Sodano, Secretarius Status, et Excellentissimus Dominus Angelo Massāfra, Archiepiscopus Scodrensis in Albania."
(References are to the current Secretary of State, Cardinal Angelo Sodano ("Most Eminent Cardinal"] and an Albanian Archbishop Angelo Massafra ["Most Excellent Lord"]).
The URL is http://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/sinodo/documents/bollettino_ 20_x-ordinaria-2001/xx_plurilingue/b06_xx.html

I have to admit, though, that I have never seen literal translations of these traditional Latin titles in English versions of texts.

God bless you.
John

-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), June 29, 2003.