Do any Biblical translation prohibitions still exist for Catholics?
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**Context:** Many Protestants overstate the claim that the Catholic Church “chained the Bible to the pulpit,” asserting that the Bible was placed on a list of “banned books” after the Council of Trent. In reality, that never happened. However, the Church did enforce severe prohibitions against what it considered dubious translations of Scripture. Historically, from Trent until the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic faithful were encouraged to read the Bible regularly, but only in certain approved translations of the Latin Vulgate (e.g., the Douay-Rheims).
Following the Second Vatican Council, many Catholics have begun to use a wider variety of translations. Some, such as Ronald L. Conte Jr., have even produced personal translations like the Catholic Public Domain Version. Popular Catholic figures on YouTube, including Matt Fradd, have expressed a preference for translations like the KJV or the Orthodox Study Bible, and others—like Jeff Cavins—have suggested that Catholics should read “whichever translation of the Bible you will actually read.”
Despite this apparent openness to different translations, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) still maintains a list of “approved” Bible translations.
**Final Question:** Are there still prohibitions within the Catholic Church that would make it sinful for the faithful to print, publish, pray with, or study using any English translation of the Bible not on an approved list?
Asked by Display name
(855 rep)
Feb 6, 2025, 09:57 PM
Last activity: Feb 8, 2025, 06:41 PM
Last activity: Feb 8, 2025, 06:41 PM