That Rome did not overall promote Biblical literacy is true, and until recently little of the Bible was read in Mass, and today this is still not much. The average Catholic does not even get to Mass weekly, less alone daily as would be needed to get just 12.7% of the Bible over the two year reading cycle, and it has already been established that historically Rome did not encourage Bible literacy among the laity, and even discouraged it. Even by 1951 just a little of the gospels and the epistles were read on Sundays, with just 0.39% of the Old Testament (aside from the Psalms) being read at Vigils and major feast days in 1951. (http://catholic-resources.org/Lectionary/Statistics.htm) Also “at mid-century study of Bible texts was not an integral part of the primary or secondary school curriculum. At best, the Bible was conveyed through summaries of the texts. (The Catholic Study Bible, Oxford University Press, 1990, p. RG16) While that amount has increased since Vatican Two, just going to Mass will NOT give a functional knowledge of Scripture.
See http://peacebyjesus.witnesstoday.org/Ancients_on_Scripture.html#Supplementary
Also,
68% of Evangelical Christians attend a regular Bible Study or participate in some other small-group activity. 47% of other Protestants take part in small groups related to their faith, along with 24% of Catholics. http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/lifestyle/general_lifestyle/december_2008/catholics_protestants_practice_faith_in_different_ways
25% of Evangelical Christians read the Bible on a daily basis along with 20% of other Protestants. Just 7% of Catholics do the same. At the other extreme, 44% of Catholics rarely or never read the Bible along with only 7% of Evangelical Christians and 13% of other Protestants. ^
44% of Evangelical Christians reflect at least daily on the meaning of Scripture in their lives. 36% of other Protestants and 22% of Catholics do the same; ^
Bible Reading: the highest was 75%, by those going to a Pentecostal/Foursquare church who reported they had read the Bible during the past week (besides at church), while the lowest was among Catholics at 23%. http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/5-barna-update/54
The typical Catholic person was 38% less likely than the average American to read the Bible; 67% less likely to attend a Sunday school class; 20% less likely to share their faith in Christ with someone who had different beliefs, donated about 17% less money to churches, and were 36% less likely to have an “active faith,” defined as reading the Bible, praying and attending a church service during the prior week. Catholics were also significantly less likely to believe that the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches. 44% of Catholics claimed to be “absolutely committed” to their faith, compared to 54% of the entire adult population. However, Catholics were 16% more likely to attend a church service and 8% more likely to have prayed to God during the prior week than the average American. Barna Reaearch, 2007, “Catholics Have Become Mainstream America” http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/12-faithspirituality/100
More: http://www.peacebyjesus.com/RC-Stats_vs._Evang.html
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Imagine that.
I think you’re missing the whole point: we don’t care about having a “functional knowledge” of Scripture. A “functional knowledge” of Scripture is NOT the focus of Catholicism.
You are obsessed with memorizing the Bible and think the holier you are the more you can throw out quotations, chapter and verse. It’s not that Catholics cannot do that, we have our Bible thumper types. We are just as free to read the Bible as you and MANY do read it daily. Why do you doubt we read Scripture as much as you?
And it’s a 3 year cycle not 2 to that throws all your statistics into question anyway. Your pre-Vatican II statement is also incorrect, as the Mass was basically the same, including several readings.
And we have a formula so the Bible comes together logically, not just the whim of a pastor with a “divinity” degree to decide the theme of the day.
I have in front of me 3 Catholic Missals from the 1950’s and 60’s. They are crammed with Scripture readings. You are simply quoting anti-Catholic information you picked up somewhere. Are you really interested in Catholic literature and approach to the Bible or do you just want to win an argument? Because it is so much more in-depth and evolved than the Protestant approach you really need to actually READ a MASS MISSAL.
You read a Catholic Missal from pre-Vatican 2, maybe you can get in the Library, and not only will you have all the pertinent readings, you find prayers that uplift your soul and bring tears to your eyes.
Do you suppose you would even HAVE A BIBLE IF NOT FOR THE CATHOLIC MONKS preserving them and copying them in monasteries for centuries while everything else was destroyed? If you love your Bible, you are indebted for sure to the Catholic Church.