Could Latin become Europe’s common language? A young group thinks it can

 Author: Evaldas Labanauskas, LRT.lt

Date: September 19, 2026

Source: LRT.lt

It may sound improbable: Latin, often described as a dead language, becoming a common language understood across Europe.

...them would require a long political and cultural journey.

For the founders of Via Nova – Latin for "new way" – that journey is measured not in years or decades, but generations.

"It all started with a four-month backpacking trip around the world," said Timi Celcer, the organisation's leader. "Ironically, it all started outside Europe."

Celcer, a self-described pan-European who studied political science, worked at Google and founded a startup, said the trip prompted him to think about how other cultures relate to their traditions.

He was particularly struck by India and China, where he said linguistic integration had helped create broader national identities.

"...distanced themselves from theirs," Celcer said.

He came to believe that the European project needed a third pillar alongside political and economic integration: culture.

"My eureka moment was realising that Latin historically played this role and is not associated with any particular country or region," he said. "It is our collective heritage, connected to our shared traditions, and could play this role again."

Latin was originally spoken by the Latins of Latium, in central Italy. It spread throughout territories conquered by the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Although it eventually ceased to be a native spoken language, Latin profoundly influenced European languages, including Italian, French and Spanish.

During the Middle Ages, written Latin became a major language of scholarship and administration across Western and Central Europe. It remains an official language of the Vatican.

Celcer also points to the revival of Hebrew in the 19th and 20th centuries as evidence that languages can return to everyday use after long periods of decline.

...Frenchman. The organisation is seeking members from across Europe, including Lithuania, where Celcer said it currently has no supporters.

One of its founders, Pierre Gorsky-Mieze, teaches Latin at Oxford Latinitas and speaks the language fluently. The other founders are learning it.

"We are growing together," Celcer said. "Three of the four of us in the founding team speak Latin about as well as the average European. But we are learning, Pierre teaches us, and we are trying to bring Latin increasingly into everyday use."

Gorsky-Mieze argues that Latin is not as difficult as many people assume.

"Latin can be spoken in everyday life," he said. "For example, with my girlfriend, who is not French, we don't speak English. We speak Latin to each other."

Celcer argues that Latin has an advantage because it is a historical European language rather than an invented one. Until the 18th century, it was widely used in academic, diplomatic and religious settings, and in some places remained in use into the 19th century.

He recalls an episode from the European Parliament in 1979, when Italian lawmaker Mario Capanna unexpectedly addressed the chamber in Latin. Otto von Habsburg responded in Latin, praising it as a distinctly European language.

Gašper Mlakar, another Via Nova founder, said Latin remains embedded in Europe's collective cultural memory.

"Even today, I think Latin is still somewhere in Europe's collective subconscious," he said. "People who try to create European organisations often use Latin names for them."

Via Nova has outlined a four-stage process for its project.

The first is what Celcer calls democratic legitimacy: persuading Europeans to view Latin as a potential symbol of European unity rather than primarily associating it with classical studies or religious traditions.

The final goal would be recognition as an official EU language while preserving Europe's national languages.

"We always emphasise that this project could take several generations," Celcer said. "It is a very long road."

"Europe should think in generations," he added.

Tilen Božič, another Via Nova founder and its marketing director, said the project is not about bringing the past back to life but using Europe's linguistic heritage to build something new.

"The Latin we are trying to promote is not about bringing history into the present," he said. "It is about taking a modern path – bringing people together and creating a common..."