VATICAN: New kid’s Bible for jubilee pilgrims
Pilgrims gathering in Rome for the Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents and the Elderly at the end of May will receive a special children’s Bible.
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has prepared a fresh version of its Child’s Bible which has been translated into more than 190 languages since it was first published in 1979.
The Catholic charity will distribute 10,000 copies of the little book during the Family Celebration and Prayer Vigil, which will be held in the Piazza San Giovanni outside St John Lateran on 31st May.
Pilgrims will be able to get copies of the Child’s Bible in one of five languages: English, French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.
Father Anton Lässer, ACN’s Ecclesiastical Assistant, spoke about the features of this special edition of the book.
The charity’s international chaplain said it has a “short phrase summarising the Good News of each story and inviting children to a personal encounter with Christ, two simple questions to prompt dialogue with children, and a short prayer to nurture spiritual life from an early age.”
The book has been redesigned to give each illustration a full page to itself.
In the foreword to the new edition Archbishop Rino Fisichella – the Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelisation – wrote: “This is not just any book, but the Word of God, which gives strength, joy, comfort, and hope.
“In this Jubilee, it is an opportunity to renew our relationship with God’s Word.
“Let’s not leave it on a shelf to gather dust: when God speaks, He asks for the silence of listening.”
More than 51 million copies of the ACN Child’s Bible have been printed over the last 45 years.
For some children, it may be the only book they own in their native language.