Believe it or not, many protestant Christians are under the impression that Catholics do not read the Bible. I am sure many do not read the Bible, just as I am sure that many protestants do not read the Bible, either. But, the impression that Catholics do not read the Bible seems to be one of those myths that just will not go away.
I am not under the impression that I can erase this myth. But, I can do my best to show that Catholics do, and are supposed, to read the Bible. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says:
SCRIPTURE IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH
131 “And such is the force and power of the Word of God that it can serve the Church as her support and vigour, and the children of the Church as strength for their faith, food for the soul, and a pure and lasting fount of spiritual life.” Hence “access to Sacred Scripture ought to be open wide to the Christian faithful.”132 “Therefore, the study of the sacred page should be the very soul of sacred theology. The ministry of the Word, too – pastoral preaching, catechetics and all forms of Christian instruction, among which the liturgical homily should hold pride of place – is healthily nourished and thrives in holiness through the Word of Scripture.”
133 The Church “forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful… to learn the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ, by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures. Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.”
