Yes, I studied Latin in the US. I haven't read Cicero particularly; I've read a denunciation of Catiline. The bulk of my reading was Virgil, followed by Caesar and a smattering of poets such as Catullus and Martial.
My experience of "the written Latin of today" in terms of European scholarship is that, while it is recognizably Latin, it is much easier for me to understand than Latin written by Romans is. This is not surprising, as it is a foreign language to the authors and their world is closer to mine than classical Rome is. I have very little experience with church Latin, but I've assumed it is more similar to scholastic Latin than it is to classical Latin, since, like scholastic Latin, it is a foreign language to the speakers and fills basically the same social role.
My experience of "the written Latin of today" in terms of European scholarship is that, while it is recognizably Latin, it is much easier for me to understand than Latin written by Romans is. This is not surprising, as it is a foreign language to the authors and their world is closer to mine than classical Rome is. I have very little experience with church Latin, but I've assumed it is more similar to scholastic Latin than it is to classical Latin, since, like scholastic Latin, it is a foreign language to the speakers and fills basically the same social role.