November 11, 2010.  The Pope has released a document on the Bible with more importance than any other since the Second Vatican Council, it's entitled “Verbum Domini,” or “the Word of God.”  This extensive “apostolic exhortation” reflects the ideas of the Synod on the Word of God held in October of 2008.


In line with his book “Jesus of Nazareth,” the Pope promotes an interpretation of the Holy Scripture in full, that is not limited to purely historical-critical methods or spiritual issues, but to the integration of faith and science.  

Card. Marc Ouellet
Relator General of the XII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops
ORIGINAL ITALIAN
01.39,12 - “To understand the scientific value of the Bible, you need faith: it is what characterizes the Bible, its nature. In the context of faith, scientific value is captured because it is the book of faith.”

Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi
Chairman, Committee for the message of the Synod
ORIGINAL ITALIAN
09.55 – “You must avoid the danger of dualism. You can not consider the Bible a book of ancient Eastern literature and analyze it only based on philology, nor think that it's a text that is only spiritual, and only follow the rules of theology. It is at the same time one thing and then another.”

Archbishop Nikola Eteroviƒ
Secretary General Synod of Bishops
ORIGINAL ITALIAN
21.30 – “It is a document that is in continuity with the past, but that includes innovative aspects for people and contemporary society.”

Benedict XVI makes note that the Bible helps to answer the problems people encounter everyday. But he warns of the danger of extreme interpretations, which only use certain excerpts from the Bible without taking into account all of its content or the intent of its author.
In particular, he says that religion can never justify intolerance or war, and violence should never be used in the name of God.  

Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi
Chairman, Committee for the message of the Synod
ORIGINAL ITALIAN
15.50 - “It is curious that the first and last word in this document are the same: joy. This is what the document want, to help people find lost joy by reading the Bible, a feeling that today is in crisis.” 

The document does not lack in suggestions which might be easier to carry out. It asks that all families have a Bible in the house to read and pray with. And it asks that priests give sermons from the Bible, and avoid “ramblings that serve to draw attention to the preacher and not the message of the Gospel.”

The Pope recalled the special bond between Christians and Jews, and what they hold in common from the Old Testament. He also praised the esteem the Catholic Church holds toward Muslims.

Benedict XVI concludes this document by recognizing the persecution of Christians for reading or spreading the Bible, especially in Asia and Africa, and calls on all countries to ensure the right of people to show their faith.

JMB/AE
AM
JM
-BN