Pope says sacred scripture must be interpreted in light of the Church

(April 24, 2009) The interpretation of sacred Scripture cannot be subjective, but must be interpreted within the church community, said Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday. "Only within the ecclesial context can sacred Scripture be understood as the authentic word of God that acts as guide, norm and rule for the life of the church and the spiritual growth of the faithful," he told members of the Pontifical Biblical Commission. "This entails rejecting every interpretation that is subjective or simply limited to a mere analysis (and therefore) incapable of being open to the overall meaning that has guided the tradition of the entire people of God over the course of centuries," he told the commission that held its plenary meeting in the Vatican April 20-24 on the theme, "Inspiration and Truth in the Bible." Pope Benedict said the theme is a concern very close to his heart “because the interpretation of sacred Scripture is of fundamental importance for Christian faith and the life of the church.” In order to have a correct interpretation of sacred Scripture, scholars must follow the criteria put forth by the Second Vatican Council, he said. Mere academic study of sacred texts, he said, would risk seeing them merely as a work of literature. He said experts must perceive the word of God in these texts within the faith of the church.