Was Latin used so that the people couldn't understand the Mass?
The short answer
No. Before Vatican II the faithful followed the Mass in Latin-English missals, the Gospel was usually read again in the vernacular, and sermons were in the vernacular. Latin was used because it is the Church's official language, a stable, universal sign of unity and a safeguard of doctrine.
The people could follow
Before Vatican II, Latin-English missals with parallel texts let the faithful follow every word. The priest usually read the Gospel in Latin and then in the vernacular, and sermons were preached in the vernacular. If the Church had wanted to keep people from understanding, everything, homily included, would have been in Latin, and there would have been no missals.
Why Latin
Latin was used for centuries as the Church's official language. Cardinal Arinze says it suits a universal Church and has a stability modern languages lack. In Mediator Dei (60), Pius XII calls Latin in the liturgy a clear and beautiful sign of unity and an effective antidote to any corruption of doctrinal truth. He adds that the mother tongue may benefit the people in several rites, but that only the Apostolic See can permit this, since the liturgy is entirely subject to the Holy See.
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