Recently, the controversial Pentecostal Pastor, Dr. Abel Damina opined, yes, it is only an opinion and one not well informed, that if the Catholic Church teaches her members to read the Bible, no one will remain in the Church. Such utterances, depict a lack of understanding of the richness of the Catholic Church and a lack of the sense of history.

It is quite obvious that Pastor Damina’s knowledge of the Catholic Church is based on Newspapers’ clippings or snippets from some social media pages.  The argument is not even that the Bible came out of the Church, and Christianity of all shades owe a lot to this effort of the Catholic Church. The more important message is that the Catholic Church has at her disposal reflections and writings of Saints and Theologians covering two millennia of their understanding of the word of God.  Apparently, fruits of their reading and familiarity with the word of God.

Various Popes have also issued directives called encyclical on the Bible, encouraging the study of the Word of God and proper interpretation of the Scripture. These include Divino Afflante Spiritu of Pope Pius, published in 1943. The Second Vatican Council issued the most authoritative test Dei Verbum which guides the study of Holy Scripture. This was published in 1965.  More recently Pope Francis issued Apperuit Illis, September 30, 2019, instituting the Sunday of the Word of God, to draw more attention to the importance of the Word of God in the Church.  Humani Generis of Pope Pius XII is devoted to examining false opinions threatening to undermine the foundations of Catholic Doctrine. Issued on August 12, 1950, it is still on the Bible. Others include Spiritus Paraclitus of Pope Benedict XV in 1920, Pascendi Domini Gregis of Pius X issued in 1907. We also have Providentissimus Deus of Pope Leo XII published in 1893 on the Study of Holy Scripture. This document is particularly relevant because of its close affinity to Dei Verbum, where some definitions of key doctrines have been lifted from Providentissimus Dei and published again in Dei Verbum to show consistency and coherence in the teaching of the Church.

This brief excursus is to demonstrate that the Catholic Church has always encourage her members not just to read the Bible but more importantly to study and allow the Holy Spirit to lead them to true knowledge of the word of God revealed in Holy Scripture.

Therefore, Dr. Abel Demina’ comment is deserving of nothing more than straight passage to the Dustin of false teachings. Unlike the Protestants and the Pentecostal, the Catholic Church has always relied on both Scripture and tradition. The source of the Church’s teaching is thus “the living word of God revealed in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition.” No wonder in Catechesis Tradendae of John Paul II we read that “Catechesis will always draw its content from the living source of the Word of God transmitted in Tradition and the Scriptures, for "sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God, which is entrusted to the Church," In other words, this is what the Church uses for "the ministry of the word - pastoral preaching, catechesis and all forms of Christian instruction.”

This is so because as the Fathers of Second Vatican council assert, “there exists a close connection and communication between sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture. For both of them, flowing from the same divine wellspring, in a certain way merge into a unity and tend towards the same end. For Sacred Scripture is the word of God inasmuch as it is consigned to writing under the inspiration of the divine Spirit, while sacred tradition takes the word of God entrusted by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit to the Apostles, and hands it on to their successors in its full purity, so that led by the light of the Spirit of truth, they may in proclaiming it preserve this word of God faithfully, explain it, and make it more widely known.

Consequently it is not from Sacred Scripture alone that the Church draws her certainty about everything which has been revealed. Therefore “both sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture are to be accepted and venerated with the same sense of loyalty and reverence.” For the Church, it can be truly asserted that “The word of God is the light for our step.” It is the problem of others if they do not believe it.

The Church thus treats the Bible with great reverence.  In fact, we revere it more than any known denomination. The Catholic Church also utilizes the Bible better than any other denomination, reading it many times during the course of the day, at Mass, at the Liturgy of the Hours, that is Office of Reading, Morning Prayer, Midday Prayer, Vesper, and Night prayer. In this instances, Psalms are always sung or recited, canticle are also sung or recited and passages from the OT and NT are always read and meditated upon. The Church is able to do this because of her long years of familiarity with the sacred text and the expertise of countless experts who have studied the languages of the Bible, the cultural, social, and religious world of the Bible and have been able to discern and teach the true meaning of the text available to us. The Catholic Church owes a lot to the word of God and cannot but read and study, mediate and utilize the bible. Anyone who does not understand this is still in the dark.