Apparently, noted Latinist Fr. Reginald Foster, OCD, has been relieved of his teaching duties at the Pontifical Gregorian University by the administration. At first, many of the commenters on that thread come to the defense of Foster, as if he were another orthodox victim of liberals. Yet other commenters point out some of Foster’s more outrageous recent statements that show a less-than-orthodox bent. Certainly, I have been made uncomfortable by Foster’s regular spot on Vatican Radio’s English program, which is entitled “The Latin Lover.” Is it really appropriate to use such a double entendre of a priest on the Vatican’s official radio station.
Another data point: Foster has been the official Latinist for the Vatican for decades, but Pope Benedict is himself an expert in the language. I remember reports that the Pope’s encyclical, “Deus caritas est,” had been delayed in publication because of disputes over translation. Wouldn’t Foster have been in the middle of that?
And in a case of “you’ll know a man by his friends and his enemies,” I note who some of Foster’s biggest fans in the blogosphere are.
None of that is evidence or proof of anything and I’m not saying that Fr. Foster has done anything wrong. What I am saying is that there’s more to this story and we should wait and see what is really happening before we leap to his defense or bid him good riddance.
Is there any indication of whether Jesuit-run Vatican Radio is going to maintain Foster’s weekly (Saturday night) appearance on the English program?