Do Catholics take the Bible literally?

Catholics interpret Scripture neither in a flat literalist way nor as mere allegory, but according to its true literal sense plus spiritual senses, guided by Tradition and the Magisterium. The sacred author's intended meaning — which may be historical, poetic, prophetic, or symbolic — is always the anchor.

The Literal Sense and the Spiritual Senses

This approach rules out two errors at once: a naive fundamentalism that ignores genre and context, and a reductive rationalism that strips Scripture of its divine authority and historical substance.