POPE BENEDICT XVI was a Latin lover. In January, not long before stepping down, he launched a Latin language Twitter account that has since attracted more than 130,000 followers. People have used it to follow the visit to Brazil of the new pope, Francis. By comparison, the Polish papal Twitter feed has slightly more than 108,000 followers whereas Spanish, the most popular of the papal accounts, has more than 3m. Benedict also announced his resignation using Latin, giving a scoop to the one journalist who could understand him. The Vatican’s affection for Latin is shared by others online and on the airwaves. Why does a language with no native speakers have so many fans? The Vatican’s Office of Latin Letters is responsible for the papal Twitter account, and is one of the few workplaces in the world in which the ancient language is still the lingua franca. Latin is also heard on Radio Bremen, a German station, which has broadcast a programme called “Nuntii Latini Septimanales” (“Weekly Latin News”) since 2001. Finland’s YLE Radio 1 has run a similar show since 1989, with listeners in over 80 countries. Google Translate provides a Latin service which attracts more traffic than Esperanto, Icelandic and Irish. Facebook offers a Latin version too, complete with “Mihi placet” for “like” and “Quid in animo tuo est?” for “What’s on your mind?” Those wanting more can join Schola, a social networking site where all messages, blogs and posts must be in Latin. Meanwhile, Latin Wikipedia has 94,000 articles.

Latin’s succinctness makes it ideal for Twitter’s 140-character epigraphs and aphorisms. Five words can often say more than ten English ones, according to David Butterfield, a Latinist at the University of Cambridge. He also believes that the language is suited to journalism: “Whatever the first tongue of the reporter, and regardless of the native language of the subject matter recounted, Latin will allow a precise and direct summary,” he says. The online newspaper Ephemeris, started by a Polish journalist in 2004, is a case in point. Its contributors write in Latin from Colombia, Germany, Chile and America. More than 300 people a day visit the site. Creative coinages also play a role in revitalising the language. Radio Bremen suggests autocinetum electricum as a translation of electric car, for example.

Other initiatives are trying to spread the language further. Pope Benedict’s Pontifical Academy for Latin, established in November, aims to promote classical culture and eventually to provide classes for those interested in learning the language. The Iris Project in London encourages school children to start studying it too. Latin is alive; quod erat demonstrandum.