VATICAN CITY, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- Fewer than three out of 20 Italians can answer simple questions about the Bible correctly, a survey finds.
While 85 percent of Italians polled say they are Catholic, only 32 percent said they were regular churchgoers, ANSA, the Italian news agency, reported Tuesday. Even fewer, 27 percent, said they had read the Bible in the past year.
That may explain why only 14 percent could answer questions such as "Are the Gospels part of the Bible" or "Did Jesus write any of the New Testament?'
The survey on the Bible and religious practices was carried out in the United States, Argentina, Britain, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Poland, Russia, the Philippines and Hong Kong. It was done by Eurisko for the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
Poland, also a Catholic country, had one of the highest rates of religious observance, with 55 percent saying they attend services regularly. In the United States, 45 percent said they were churchgoers.
Walter Kasper, head of the council, said many Christians, including Catholics, are ignorant of the Bible.
''The majority of Christians know the Bible only from passages read in church and few pray with the Bible,'' Kasper said.
