A long-awaited reading

Approach to the text . What “evaluation did interviewees give to the content of the Scriptures? (…) Indeed, the overall positive approach towards the biblical message is accompanied by the perception of broaching a complex text. “This means that the attitude isn’t at all simplistic or superficial since the Scriptures are viewed in their complexity. This perception is not discouraging however since it is a call and a challenge to listening and deepening the reading of the text”. Pastoral reflections . On average- the Eurisko document states – one out of two respondents recognizes that Scriptural reading necessitates a hermeneutic approach, which cannot be literal, but rather “mediated” with group reading or through celebrations or television programs. “This information – researches declared – allows to draw interesting pastoral conclusions”. Firstly, “the Bible is recognized as a channel enabling a relationship with God”. Secondly, “listening to the Word is a request and an expectation of most people”. But “it’s not easy to respond to this expectation since it entails the help of Church institutions”. “For this reason, within our churches, pastoral care must be expanded with modes enabling access and reading of the Biblical text along with mediation tools which may facilitate the approach to the Scriptures”. Hence, more than a “good pastoral opportunity”, it’s a “request and a need”. Ethical questions . A last remark on the opinions expressed by respondents on ethical issues. Answers given to questions regarding euthanasia, abortion, marriage and the family, “reveal a starkly distant position from that expressed by the Magisterium of the Catholic Church also recently”. This is true also in those Countries with a lower degree of secularization like Italy.