Whiz Kid Doesn't Like New Translation

The National Catholic Reporter  (as in liberal, Catholic-in-name-only) soars to new heights in objective reporting! (NOT!)

Look at this headline (and go ahead, read the story): “Sixteen-year-old Latin Whiz Finds New Liturgy Language Lacking”. Wow! We find out by reading the article that this amazing young man has been studying Latin since the 6^th grade, and as a senior in high school, has taken every Latin course available to him. Frankly, I am impressed and very, very jealous (really, I'm not being facetious here). My training in Latin is all self-inflicted and not very thorough, I’m afraid.

So rest assured I am not denigrating the young man’s knowledge of Latin.

Still, the headline explicitly states that the 16-year-old Latin whiz doesn’t think the new translation is up to snuff, and implies that this has something to do with the translation.  But is that what the story actually reports? Why…no. In fact, for the most part, the young man seems to agree that the new English translation more accurately translates the Latin, and he notes that “it’s quite clear that the former translation didn't even attempt to be literal”. So what is it that is “lacking”?

Surprise, surprise! The young man wonders whether a new translation that is closer to the Latin is "actually desirable". Does this sound like something you’ve heard in the National “Catholic” Reporter before?! Well…it is. It’s their party line.

I’m not going to analyze the young man’s essay (which is quite well-written, if off the mark); feel free to read it yourself.

But let’s just be clear: while he may have a lot of years of Latin study under his belt, I doubt we can consider him an “expert” (note that the NCR has not asked Fr. John Zuhlsdorf of What Does the Prayer Really Say for his opinion about the new translation!). And more importantly (given the tenor of the article and the transparent agenda of the NCR in presenting the whiz-kid’s opinion), the fact is, the young man is not a theologian, nor an “expert” on the liturgy, nor anything else along those lines.

I submit that the NCR is using this young man to suit their own purposes. They have made him a poster child of the anti-new-translation crowd. That is just not right. Shame on them.