RIP Fr. Reginald Foster, OCD - Pope Francis offers Condolences on Death of Carmelite Priest who Worked for 4 Popes as a Latin Expert



Vatican News reports that Fr. Reginald Foster, a friar of the Discalced Carmelite Order, passed away on Christmas Day, at the age of 81.
Originally from Milwaukee in the US state of Wisconsin, Fr. Reginald spent almost 40 years as one of the Vatican’s foremost experts in the Latin language. He worked in the Latin Letters section of the Secretariat of State from 1970 until his retirement in 2009.
Pope Francis sends a telegram of condolences upon the death of Fr. Reginald Foster, and praises the linguistic mastery of the renowned Latinist of the Popes.
As befits the memory of a master of the official language of the Church, Pope Francis’ condolences for the passing of Fr. Reginald Foster, OCD, came in Latin.
The late Carmelite friar—beloved of Vatican Radio listeners as “The Latin-lover”—served as one of the Vatican’s foremost experts in the Latin language for nearly 40 years.
Pope Francis sent a telegram on Monday to Fr. Saverio Cannistrà, the Father General of the Order of Discalced Carmelite Friars, to express his condolences. The note was signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin.
The Pope expressed his appreciation for Fr. Reginald’s many years of service to the Holy See.
He worked from 1970 until 2009 in the Latin Letters section of the Secretariat of State, translating innumerable papal and Vatican documents into Latin.
Acknowledging his years of service, Pope Francis said Fr. Reginald “demonstrated the brilliance of Latin to copious numbers of students.”
And the Holy Father prayed that the Latinist of the Popes might receive from God “recompense in full measure.”
Edited from VaticanNews.va

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