Dr. Joseph Shaw (Senior Research Fellow at St Benet’s Hall, Oxford University) examines the Church’s official explanations (starting at the Council of Trent) for the use of Latin in the liturgy, and finds them somewhat wanting. He agrees that efforts to increase knowledge of Latin can contribute to the better understanding of Mass goers, but he goes on to propose that Latin facility is not at all required. He provides evidence that even when Mass goers do not understand Latin they can and do participate actively and fruitfully in Latin liturgies.