Pope Leo XIV presided over the Wednesday General Audience on the feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes, February 11th. The Pope's catechesis focused on the vital relationship between the Word of God and the Church, referencing the document Dei Verbum. The Church is described as the rightful home and habitat for Sacred Scripture, which arose from and is destined for the people of God. The Church venerates the divine Scriptures equally with the Body of the Lord, treating them as the supreme rule of faith alongside sacred tradition. Authentic biblical hermeneutics requires interpretation within the faith of the Church, as highlighted by Pope Benedict XVI in Verbum Domini following the 2008 Synod of Bishops.
24 days ago
Pope Leo XIV delivered a catechesis on February 11, 2026, during the Wednesday General Audience in the Paul VI Hall, focusing on the profound link between the Word of God and the Church.1
The address, given on the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, draws from the Conciliar Constitution Dei Verbum's sixth chapter.1
The Church is described as the rightful home of Sacred Scripture, born from the people of God under the Holy Spirit's inspiration and destined for them.1
In the Christian community, Scripture finds its natural space to reveal meaning and power.1
The Church venerates divine Scriptures as she does the Body of the Lord, especially in the liturgy where it offers the bread of life alongside Christ's Body.1
Scripture, with sacred tradition, remains the supreme rule of faith.1
Post-Vatican II, the 2008 Synod on the Word of God and Benedict XVI's Verbum Domini emphasize biblical hermeneutics within the Church's faith, modeled on Mary's fiat.1
Saint Jerome's words—"ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ"—underscore Scripture's goal: knowing Christ and fostering dialogue with God.1
Scripture sustains and invigorates the Christian community, central to Eucharist, sacraments, ministry of bishops, priests, deacons, catechists, exegesis, and theology.1
Reading it prayerfully enables God to converse with believers, as Revelation is a divine dialogue.1
The Church desires the Word to reach all members, nurturing faith and propelling mission outward.1
Unlike empty words, God's Word quenches thirst for meaning, ever new and inexhaustible in revealing God's mystery.1
All Scripture relates to Jesus Christ, the living Word made flesh, proclaiming His saving presence for individuals and humanity.1
Believers are urged to open hearts like Mary, Mother of the Church, to receive this gift.1
The Church is the authentic interpreter of Scripture
The Catholic Church firmly teaches that she possesses the authentic authority to interpret Sacred Scripture, a role entrusted exclusively to her living Magisterium as the divinely appointed guardian of God's Word. This doctrine ensures the unity of faith, guards against error, and nourishes the faithful with the true meaning intended by the Holy Spirit. Rooted in Scripture, Tradition, and conciliar definitions, this teaching underscores that private interpretation cannot supersede the Church's judgment, fostering a harmonious understanding of Revelation for salvation.
Vatican II's Dei Verbum explicitly states: "But the task of authentically interpreting the word of God, whether written or handed on, has been entrusted exclusively to the living teaching office of the Church, whose authority is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ." This Magisterium "is not above the word of God, but serves it, teaching only what has been handed on, listening to it devoutly, guarding it scrupulously and explaining it faithfully in accord with a divine commission and with the help of the Holy Spirit."
The Church's interpretive authority flows from Christ's commission to the Apostles and their successors, the bishops in communion with the Pope. As Lumen Gentium affirms, bishops are "authentic teachers... endowed with the authority of Christ," who preach the faith to be believed and practiced, warding off errors. This living Magisterium binds together Sacred Scripture and Tradition: "sacred tradition, Sacred Scripture and the teaching authority of the Church... are so linked and joined together that one cannot stand without the others." Without this, interpretations risk diverging from the deposit of faith.
The Catechism echoes this, drawing from Dei Verbum: "It is the task of exegetes to work... towards a better understanding and explanation of the meaning of Sacred Scripture in order that their research may help the Church to form a firmer judgement. For... all that has been said about the manner of interpreting Scripture is ultimately subject to the judgement of the Church which exercises the divinely conferred commission and ministry of watching over and interpreting the Word of God."
Exegetes must consider "the content and unity of the whole of Scripture," the "living tradition of the whole Church," and the "harmony which exists between elements of the faith." Their work matures under the Church's oversight, as "the interpreter of Sacred Scripture... should carefully investigate what meaning the sacred writers really intended, and what God wanted to manifest by means of their words." This prevents individualistic readings, ensuring Scripture is understood "in the sacred spirit in which it was written."
The Church does not derive certainty from Scripture alone but from Scripture and Tradition, honored equally. As the "pillar and mainstay of the truth," she subsists in the Catholic Church governed by the successor of Peter.
Sacred Scripture is the Church's lifeblood: "In Sacred Scripture, the Church constantly finds her nourishment and her strength, for she welcomes it not as a human word, but as what it really is, the word of God." The Church venerates it "just as she venerates the body of the Lord," offering it as "the bread of life" in liturgy, alongside Tradition as the "supreme rule of faith."
This interpretation empowers preaching and teaching: "all the preaching of the Church must be nourished and regulated by Sacred Scripture." The Magisterium draws from this "one deposit of faith," presenting divinely revealed truths. Catholic scholars are encouraged to study Scripture "under the watchful care of the sacred teaching office," to provide "nourishment... enlighten their minds, strengthen their wills, and set men's hearts on fire with the love of God."
This doctrine safeguards salvation, as the Church is necessary: "Whosoever, knowing that the Catholic Church was made necessary by Christ, would refuse to enter or to remain in it, could not be saved." Interpretation aligns with her mission, where the Holy Spirit guides her "in the way of all truth."
The Church's holiness stems from the Spirit, who endows her as the place "where the Spirit flourishes," making her credible in interpretation. Believers adhere to bishops' teaching "with a religious assent," especially the Pope's magisterium.
In summary, the Church's role as authentic interpreter preserves Revelation's integrity, uniting believers in truth. This teaching invites fidelity to the Magisterium, ensuring Scripture illuminates the path to eternal life.