Msgr. Pope on 'Church-speak' and Its Effects

"Many groups have a tendency to use words that make sense to their members but are unintelligible to outsiders. I have sometimes had to decode 'Church-speak' for recent converts.

"Here in the aftermath of Easter with all our fancy words like catechumen, mystogogia, neophyte, regeneration, etc, I muse on our overall tendency to 'church-speak'. To some degree, we need these words and should educate God's faithful as to their meaning. But it is a source of some humor to ponder how arcane, how obscure our language can become."

In a recent commentary based on the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas, Monsignor Charles Pope (pastor of Holy Comforter-Saint Cyprian Parish, Washington, DC) reflected on the importance of being careful in our use of "Church-speak" and on the related importance of being clear in our explanation of Church teaching.

To access Msgr. Pope's complete post, please visit:

Community in Mission: "Church-speak" – Strange Things Church People Say (1 MAY 23)