Why Does the Catholic Church Discourage Bible Reading?

For Catholic readers, or for non-Catholic readers that have a basic knowledge of Catholicism, this question seems ridiculous. However, I've been asked this question enough times (for example, by my Father) that I think a post answering the question is warranted.

It should first be established, as a matter of historical fact, that the Catholic Church compiled the Canon of Scripture at the Councils of Hippo (393) and Carthage (397). The Douay–Rheims was translated before the King James Version, and the Gutenberg Bible (the first printed Bible) was Catholic. And we can't forget the very important work of Stephen Langton, Cardinal Archbishop of Canterbury, who created the first Bible with chapters and numbered verses. I think it was best summed up by Martin Luther himself, who wrote in his Commentary on St. John: "We are compelled to concede to the Papists that they have the Word of God, that we received it from them, and that without them we should have no knowledge of it at all."

Ukrainian Seminaries' Vocation Crisis... Too Many Priests!

Yeah, that's right. Ukrainian Seminaries are turning away candidates, according to a Zenit news article. But they're not turning away a few priests... they're turning away "up to half of the young men seeking to become priests due to a lack of space." What's the cause of this increase in vocations? According to coadjutor Bishop Jaroslav Pryriz of the Eparchy of Sambir-Drohobych, "when they see good priests, and when they see the Church living out the social gospel, it inspires them" and that "many young men see the positives and negatives -- the positive of how the Church serves people and the negative of how hard life is in the streets and the villages."

Feast of the Chair of St. Peter

Today is the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter. Seeing as how St. Peter is my patron saint, I would be in trouble if I didn't post about it.

The Cair of St. Peter is is a relic, enclosed in a gilt bronze casing, located in St. Peter's Basilica. The gilt bronze casing was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and executed 1647-53. It was a gift from Charles the Bald to the Pope in 875. In Latin, the chair of the bishop is called a cathedra.

The Numbers

In honor of the 2011 Annuario Pontificio (a yearbook containing information about every Vatican office, every cardinal and bishop, every diocese and religious order in the world), I thought I would go over some interesting statistical numbers, and maybe see a little of the state of the Church.

Interview with a Pro-Lifer III

Creeds, Creeds, Everywhere Creeds! Part 2 of 2

In the previous post on this subject, I wrote about the Apostle's Creed, a creed that provides a basis for our Christian beliefs. In this post, I want to look at the Nicene Creed, the creed that we recite every Sunday at Mass. It is the creed that best identifies our Catholic Faith. As in the previous post, I'll examine the Creed's history and its importance.

To be correct, the name of the creed is the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed. The original version of the creed was created at the First Council of Nicaea (325), and then was revised at the First Council of Constantinople (381). As with all creeds, the Nicene Creed was a "line in the sand" with which to judge the faith of others, sorting out the heretics and heterodox from the orthodox. In the face of the Arian Heresy, the Nicene Creed formalized the Church's view of the Trinity. This version did not have the filioque (and the Son), which has become a point of controversy between the Catholic and Orthodox Church (which has already been addressed here).

Karol Wojtyla Website Launched

If you regularly keep your ear open to Catholic news, this won't be anything new to you. However, the Diocese of Rome has launched a website dedicated to the beatification of Pope John Paul II (Karol Wojtyla). The site will include "information on the life of Karol Wojtyla, his thought and his devotion of Mary,... the process of his canonization cause, and other events linked to the May 1 beatification" (link to the Zenit article).

The website is already becoming a comprehensive website for all things Wojtyla, and should soon include some of his writtings. A fun, though odd, feature is a webcam that provides live feed of Pope John Paul II's tomb.

The beatification of the Servant of G-d Pope John Paul II is set for May 1, 2011 (Divine Mercy Sunday). This was an appropriate choice of a date, because not only does it come after a period of penance (Lent) and celebration (Easter), but it also falls upon the feast of Divine Mercy (instituted for the universal Church by the future Blessed Wojtyla).

New Catechism for Youth

Pope John Paul II was well known for his connection with the Catholic Youth. His successor, however, isn't as well known for this special ability to connect with the younger generation. The fact that Pope Benedict XVI isn't known for his relationship with the youth doesn't change that, in a real way, he can relate with them on a deeper level than his predecessor. Part of this connection can be found in the new catechism coming out in March 2011. YOUCAT, the name of the new Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church, is geared towards high school students, and is the official catechism of World Youth Day.

Interview with a Pro-Lifer II