But how is the Bible defined? "It is a book inspired by God but one which should not always be taken at face value, it should be interpreted instead”: this is the most popular answer, with 60 per cent of French people, 57 of Spanish people and 43 of Italians. "It is God’s Word, to be taken always and only literally”: this formula too is very popular with 38 per cent of Italians, 29 of Spanish people and 17 of French people. French people are among the sceptical ones: 13 per cent of them think the Bible is just a group of "fairy tales and legends" (Italy 6, Spain 5). The preferred place to learn about the Bible is the parish: 46 Spanish, 42 French and 39 Italians out of one hundred. But religious skills remain weak. The Abu survey shows that "meetings of catechesis or religious culture are attended by about one quarter of practising Catholics (Spain 28, France 26 and Italy 21%)". Hence, "a quite scanty awareness of the centrality of God’s Word in Christian life", although there’s "the will to cooperate with other Christian confessions in the knowledge and spreading of the Bible". 76 French, 62 Italians and 58 Spanish people out of one hundred are willing to cooperate with the Protestants.
