I left out the “the” before historical truth, due to writing through my phone, but still I believe what I meant was clear and is the same thing said in what you quoted. The Catholic Church says it believes in the inerrancy of the spiritual truths conveyed, and the actual history in Genesis is true only to a point. That’s not accepting the Bible as is. And the Catholic Church doesn’t. It officially believes in evolution, which Genesis contradicts on many points. If you don’t mind, I’ll ask you this also: do you consider yourself to be a saint?
The Catholic Church believes in the inerrancy of the Bible. Period. Not "up to a point". All of it. But "inerrant" does not mean "always literal", and if you confuse the two, you are going to land yourself in a heap of trouble. Do you not remember that's exactly what the opponents of Galileo did? They used that passage about the sun "standing still in the sky" to "prove" that the sun went around the earth.
The Church also does not "officially" believe in evolution. It takes a neutral stand--saying that Catholics are free to believe in it or not believe in the strictly scientific aspects as they see fit. But the Church has also condemned certain associated theological propositions like polygenism. Pius XII in that document I linked to teaches that Adam and Eve were historical people and that original sin passed down through humankind by heredity.
As for Genesis "contradicting" evolution, I've made a very serious study of this, and I don't see that contradiction frankly. Genesis 1 says very clearly in verse 12: "Let the earth bring forth the green herb", and in verse 20: "Let the waters bring forth the creeping creature having life".
God commanded the earth and the water to bring these things into being--and isn't that what an evolutionary outlook tells us to expect? The text says in black and white that God created these creatures *through the agency of the earth and water*--i.e. through some kind of natural process.
Evolution as Darwin laid it out may be right or wrong. But I don't see any contradiction with Genesis. Genesis tells us the fact and the theological truth, and good science then fills in the details.
If you don’t mind, I’ll ask you this also: do you consider yourself to be a saint?
I don't mind of course. But let's focus on the historicity of Genesis here rather than spin off into justification and the cult of the saints, etc.
I’m not personally offended, but let me say about your point on “confusing” inerrancy with absolute literalism that doing so is really below the intellect that God has given to most everyone but small children.
On Galileo, it would be nice to look closely at that whole situation and I hope to sometime, but right now I don’t have the time to. But to begin with, I note it was the Catholic Church that opposed Galileo, and they were defending something that I don’t believe the Bible says anything about, the idea that the Earth is the center of the universe. Over time I’ve come to see that the Catholic Church tries to definitively answer questions God hasn’t given us the answers to, and that may be another example of it. (cont’d)