[Alex Murphy]

Average Catholics asked today how often they read the Bible likely would say that they do not read the Bible regularly. However, if asked how often they read Scripture, the answer would be different. Practicing Catholics know they read and hear Scripture at every Mass. Many also recognize that basic prayers Catholics say, such as the Our Father and the Hail Mary, are scriptural. But for most Catholics, the Scripture they hear and read is not from the Bible. It is from a worship aid in the pew....

....Once the printing press was invented, the most commonly printed book was the Bible, but this still did not make Bible-reading a Catholic’s common practice. Up until the mid-twentieth Century, the custom of reading the Bible and interpreting it for oneself was a hallmark of the Protestant churches springing up in Europe after the Reformation. Protestants rejected the authority of the Pope and of the Church and showed it by saying people could read and interpret the Bible for themselves. Catholics meanwhile were discouraged from reading Scripture.

Identifying the reading and interpreting of the Bible as “Protestant” even affected the study of Scripture. Until the twentieth Century, it was only Protestants who actively embraced Scripture study. That changed after 1943 when Pope Pius XII issued the encyclical Divino Afflante Spiritu. This not only allowed Catholics to study Scripture, it encouraged them to do so. And with Catholics studying Scripture and teaching other Catholics about what they were studying, familiarity with Scripture grew....

....In a round-about way, aspects of U.S. culture also have encouraged Catholics to become more familiar with the Scriptures. References to John 3:16 appear in the stands at sporting events. Catholics who hear of and see other Christians quote or cite Scripture verses wonder why they cannot. Such experiences lead Catholics to seek familiarity with the Bible.

[al_c]

But for most Catholics, the Scripture they hear and read is not from the Bible. It is from a worship aid in the pew.

Huh? It's scripture from the bible, no matter if it is printed in a worship aid or not or printed on a page in the bible. What a silly thing to say.

[Salvation]

Not the Catholics on FR. I can’t speak for all, but I would daresay we read from the Bible everyday — and not just the Readings at Mass.

[ealgeone]

Average Catholics asked today how often they read the Bible likely would say that they do not read the Bible regularly. However, if asked how often they read Scripture, the answer would be different. Practicing Catholics know they read and hear Scripture at every Mass. Many also recognize that basic prayers Catholics say, such as the Our Father and the Hail Mary, are scriptural. But for most Catholics, the Scripture they hear and read is not from the Bible. It is from a worship aid in the pew.

And this is born out on FR discussion boards every day.

Can't wait to hear the catholic spin on this one!

[Campion]

An example of Monsignor's errors:

That changed after 1943 when Pope Pius XII issued the encyclical Divino Afflante Spiritu. This not only allowed Catholics to study Scripture, it encouraged them to do so.

Except that there's this:

A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful who, with the veneration due the divine Word, make a spiritual reading from the Sacred Scriptures. A plenary indulgence is granted if this reading is continued for at least one half an hour. -- Pope Benedict XV, Spiritus Paraclitus, 1920

There are many other examples. The Douay-Rheims was translated back in the 16th century. Not for priests to read (they could read the Latin Vulgate), but for laypeople.

[DungeonMaster]

I know a lot of Catholics but I can’t think of any who are serious about anything spiritual. They’re mostly serious about eating, drinking and football and such.

[Buckeye McFrog]

At one time the Catholic Church actively discouraged the flock from reading the Bible. Only the highly educated clergy were capable of understanding and “interpreting” it for them.

Not the case today.

[Zionist Conspirator]

Considering that Catholic bibles contain higher critical commentary, they’re better off not reading it at all.