Recall that the founder of the Waldensians had the Bible translated into French so he could read it for himself, whereupon he decided that many Church teachings and practices were not in accord with scripture. That's precisely what the Church had always tried to prevent- to maintain a monopoly on scriptural interpretations, it is best to impose a monopoly on access to the scriptures. Consequently, even well-educated clergy did not read the Bible itself but learned of it through handbooks and secondary expositions. Actual study of the scriptures was reserved for specialists- until relatively modern times, even very few popes had ever read from the Bible.
- from pages 73-74, For the Glory of GOD