Men

“For us men and for our salvation… and became man.” No change here in the Creed. Why not?

Latin (like Greek) has two words, vir for males and homo for human person. From these roots, we derive the English expressions, virile and “ad hominem.”

In the Gloria, we pray for “peace to people (hominibus) of good will.” And later, the priest says of the bread and wine, “the word of human (hominum) hands.” Why, then, fail to translate the Creed’s “homo factus est” accurately? This is not the formal equivalence that the new rules for translation call for.

Nor is it good pastoral practice. One of the things that parents teach their sons and daughters is that the sign, “Men” indicates a restroom for boys and men, one that is not to be used by girls and women. Very early on, children lean that “men” is not an inclusive word.