Though the Vatican is amongst the most famous places in the world, especially for Catholics, many don’t know much about the city beyond the fact that it’s the home of the Pope. For instance, what language do people use in the Vatican?
The language the Vatican uses is, unsurprisingly, mainly Italian. It’s used in official documents and as a working language. Though, given that the Vatican is the territory of the Holy See, Latin is also recognised as an official language. As such, the Vatican is the only country in the world which officially speaks Latin.
Of course, pilgrims come over from all corners of the world, and not a grand amount of them knows Latin. The Vatican is also home to members of the Swiss Guard, so lots of languages are used there actively.
Though not all residents of the Vatican may speak fluent English, it is a language commonly utilised both in the city and in public relations by the Vatican representatives. Just like French, you’ll no-doubt hear English used in the Vatican here and there. There’s also the website of the Holy See and the Vatican, which is available in English, as well as the official newspaper of the Holy See, the L’Osservatore Romano, offering an English version next to the Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Polish and Malaysian versions.
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