Pope Leo XIV recently emphasized that Sacred Scripture is intrinsically linked to the Catholic Church, asserting that the Church is the rightful home for the Word of God. He explained that Scripture finds its true meaning and power within the Christian community, which is entrusted with its preservation and explanation. The faithful are encouraged to draw deeply from the Bible, particularly during the celebration of the Eucharist and the Sacraments. This teaching echoes previous papal affirmations, such as those by Pope Benedict XVI, stressing that authentic biblical interpretation must occur within the context of the Church's living faith. Ultimately, the Pope noted that knowing Scripture is essential for truly knowing Christ.
24 days ago
Pope Leo XIV delivered his catechesis on February 11, 2026, during the general audience in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall.1 2 3
He focused on the sixth chapter of Vatican II's Dei Verbum, emphasizing the "profound and vital link" between Sacred Scripture and the Church.1 3
The Pope declared, "The Church is the rightful home of Sacred Scripture," entrusted to her for preservation and explanation.1 2 3
Scripture arose from the people of God and is destined for them, finding its "habitat" in the Church community.3
There, it reveals Christ and fosters dialogue with God.1 2
Leo XIV recalled St. Jerome: "ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ."1 2 3
Scripture's goal is knowing Christ and entering a conversational relationship with God.3
Unlike empty worldly words, God's Word quenches thirst for meaning and remains inexhaustible.1 2
The Church venerates Scripture like Christ's body, offering it as "bread of life" in liturgy.1 3
All faithful must drink from this wellspring, especially in Eucharist and sacraments.2
Ministers—bishops, priests, deacons, catechists—require deep love for Scripture.1 3
It nurtures faith journeys and propels the Church's mission outward.2
The address drew from the 2008 Synod on the Word of God and Benedict XVI's Verbum Domini.1 3
Benedict stressed authentic interpretation occurs in the Church's faith, modeled by Mary's fiat.2
Dei Verbum portrays Revelation as God speaking to friends.1
Before the audience, Leo XIV lit a candle before a Lourdes statue for her February 11 feast.1 2
He invoked her aid for youth, newlyweds, and the sick on World Day of the Sick.3
He planned to pray at the Vatican Gardens' Lourdes grotto replica.1
The Church is the authentic custodian of Sacred Scripture
The Catholic Church holds a unique and irreplaceable role as the authentic custodian of Sacred Scripture, ensuring its faithful interpretation, transmission, and proclamation within the living Tradition. This custodianship is not merely administrative but deeply theological, rooted in God's merciful condescension to speak in human words through inspired authors, as safeguarded by the Church's magisterial authority. Drawing from post-conciliar teachings and the Catechism, this analysis explores the Church's role in mediating the Word of God, preventing misinterpretation, and fostering an encounter with Christ, the eternal Word.
Central to Catholic understanding is that Sacred Scripture cannot be isolated from the Church's Tradition. As Pope Leo XIV emphasized in his recent catechesis on Dei Verbum, Scripture is "read in the living Tradition of the Church, a privileged space for encounter where God continues to speak to the men and women of every time." This Tradition, animated by the Holy Spirit, guards against partial readings that neglect either the divine or human dimensions of the biblical texts. The Council document Dei Verbum underscores that God speaks "in human language," becoming "like human discourse," much as the Word became flesh— a reality the Church preserves through her interpretive office.
Pope Benedict XVI's Verbum Domini reinforces this: the Word of God is handed on in the Church's "living Tradition," making Christianity the "religion of the word of God," not merely a book but a dynamic reality shaped by ecclesial life. Without the Church, Scripture risks fundamentalist distortions or spiritualist abstractions that ignore historical context and literary forms. The Church thus acts as custodian by insisting on a hermeneutic of continuity, where human authors are "true authors" alongside God as principal Author.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church elaborates how the Church discerns the profound unity between the Old and New Testaments, prefiguring Christ's fulfillment. "The Church... has illuminated the unity of the divine plan in the two Testaments through typology." This typological reading—seeing Old Covenant events as prefigurations of Christ—reveals Scripture's "inexhaustible content" while affirming the Old Testament's "intrinsic value as Revelation." Christians read the Old Testament "in the light of Christ crucified and risen," and the New in light of the Old, as early catechesis practiced.
This custodianship ensures typology points to the "dynamic movement toward the fulfilment of the divine plan," where events like the Exodus retain value as stages in salvation history. The Gospels hold a "unique place in the Church," venerated in liturgy and drawing saints through their splendor. By preserving this harmony, the Church prevents fragmented interpretations, echoing St. Augustine: "the New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New."
The Church's role counters risks of private judgment. Dei Verbum teaches that revelation transcends human reason alone, making accessible truths known "with ease, with solid certitude and with no trace of error" through the Church's mediation. Pope Leo XIV warns that neglecting human words leads to "fundamentalist or spiritualist readings," betraying meaning; proclamation must embody history and reach hearts in contemporary language. Verbum Domini calls for renewing encounters with Christ via Scripture, urging believers to become "heralds of the gift of divine life."
Recent papal messages echo this. Pope Leo XIV's SEEK26 address invokes John's Gospel, where Jesus asks, "What do you seek?"—inviting disciples into the Church's scriptural mission. Even in suffering, as in his message for Crans-Montana victims, Scripture's hope (Rom 8:38) is proclaimed ecclesially.
This custodianship demands active engagement: study Scripture in liturgy, personal prayer, and community, always under magisterial guidance. The Church enables the Word to shape reality, inviting participation in divine life. As Verbum Domini notes, creation itself proclaims God's glory, but humanity's unique role is fulfilled through ecclesial hearing of the Word.
In conclusion, the Church's custodianship ensures Sacred Scripture remains a living encounter with God, faithful to its divine-human nature. Rooted in Tradition, it guards unity, prevents error, and proclaims Christ amid modern challenges—urging all to listen anew.