After the Roman Empire collapsed in the fifth century C.E., Latin continued to play an important role in an institution that remains part of the western cultural heritage: the Christian Church. As noted in a previous chapter, both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible had been translated into Latin by the fourth century C.E. And, until the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century, Christian church services (known as masses) were in Latin. Virtually none of the laity knew Latin, so this was another example of where Latin was used to keep the common people in awe (recall the earlier remarks about the medical and legal fields). In fact, until the 1960s, Catholic churches continued to conduct masses in Latin. Even though some Catholic churches still have Latin masses, the “official” language of the pope (i.e., the language of papal documents such as encyclicals and bulls) remains Latin. The phrase ex cathedrā(“from the chair”) owes much of its continued use to its adoption by the Papacy in the nineteenth century. Thus, whether or not you are a Christian, your knowledge of Latin will help you understand this particular religious faith.