READING, England, May 1, 2002 — The Pope has commended Bible Societies for undertaking a task which is urgent and which draws members of different churches and ecclesiastical communities together.
Speaking in the Vatican to representatives from the UBS and the Bible Societies of Europe and the Middle East who met in Rome last week, Pope John Paul II said, "Whatever differences remain between [the churches], the promotion of the Bible is one point where Christians can work closely together for the glory of God and the good of the human family."
At the special audience granted to the 70-strong gathering, he said, "For many years your Societies have been engaged in translating and distributing the text of Scripture, an essential part of proclaiming Christ to the world. For it is not just words which we must speak: it is the Word of God himself! It is Jesus Christ, promised in the Old Testament, proclaimed in the New, whom we must present to a world which hungers for him, often without knowing it."
He said the urgency of the task demanded that Christians commit themselves to the cause of unity."Division among the disciples of Christ has certainly impaired our mission. Your meeting, therefore, draws together members of different churches and ecclesiastical communities united in the love of the Bible and in the desire that listening to the Word of God should become a life-giving encounter which draws from the biblical text the living Word which questions, directs and shapes our lives."
Commenting on the occasion, David Bedford, the UBS Head of Global Development, said that the audience — and the Pope's affirmation of the Bible Societies' mission —had touched him deeply. "The very fact that the Pope could give priority to meeting representatives from the Bibles Societies at a time when his health is not good reflected his commitment to the importance of the Bible and his support for the work of the Bible throughout the world," he said.
Source: United Bible Societies
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