I Can Hear the Writhing

"Unfortunately, we must acknowledge that there is still too little Bible in the lives of the faithful."

Does this sound like an Evangelical statement from the pulpit on Sunday morning? If you'd say yes, think again....

Bishop Vincenzo Paglia, speaking at a news conference presenting a Vatican conference on the Bible to be held later this month, said a recent survey of Catholics in Italy, Spain and France showed that only three percent of them read it every day.

He said the survey showed that the overwhelming number of Catholics, some 80 percent, only heard the Bible when they went to Mass on Sunday.

'Often the Bible is put in the privileged place in the home, which is very nice,' said Alexander M. Schweitzer, secretary-general of the Catholic Biblical Federation.

'But no one reads it,' he said.

Paglia said the study showed that some 40 percent of Catholics surveyed believed that St Paul wrote one of the gospels and that 26 percent believed that St Peter had also written one of the gospels.

Is this supposed to be a revelation, that Catholics are confused? We see that every day here.

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