Pope Francis posted a tweet, in Latin, on Wednesday on his official account, Pontifex.
The message in question: “Senem blandiri eandem spem significat ac puerum blandiri, cum vitae initium et finis semper mysterium sint, mysterium verendum, comitandum, curandum, amandum”.
The tweet was then published in other languages, on the pontiff's other accounts, reports the
Huffington Post
.
Caressing an elderly person expresses the same hope as caressing a child, because the beginning of life and its end are always a mystery, a mystery that must be respected, accompanied, cared for and loved.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex_fr) February 9, 2022
The tweet is still live
Except that the French translation made more than one Internet user wince.
The published message thus became: "To caress an elderly person expresses the same hope as to caress a child, because the beginning of life and its end are always a mystery, a mystery that must be respected, accompanied, cared for and loved".
And it's the word “caress” that has struggled to get across, especially because of the sex scandals currently affecting the Church.
Claire Chauviré, professor of literature, spoke on the question.
"'Blandiri' is a form of the verb blandior, which can be translated as flatter, coax, cajole, pamper," she explains.
She adds: “Personally, I would translate by pampering or even cherishing”.
For the English translation, a verb similar to that of French was used.
As of this writing, the Pope's tweet is still online and has not been edited.
Teasingly, several Internet users have asked the Church to provide the services of professional translators.
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