HEBDOMADA PAPAE

Vatican to Launch News Service in Latin

Only a few understand it, and the translators are struggling with how to say miniskirt and suicide bomber in the ancient language.

The Vatican announced that it would be broadcasting its first-ever news service on Vatican Radio in Latin on Saturday morning. The program, which will be called Hebdomada Papae, notitiae vaticanae latine redditae or The Pope’s Week, Latin Vatican News, will last just five minutes and will feature major headlines Pope Francis is interested in. The main challenge for the program is using the ancient language to describe modern concepts like suicide bomber, miniskirt and even popcorn, which do not exist in the language. The Daily Telegraph spoke to the Vatican’s chief translator who said words like popcorn will be toasted maize grains or máizae grana tosta, hotpants will have to be translated to women’s very short trousers, or brevíssimae bracae femíneae and a snack bar will have to be called thermopólium potórium et gustatórium.