Bible Translated into 2,454 languages, 4,500 to go

Mgr. Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Catholic Biblical Federation, presented all this at a press conference in Rome.

VATICAN CITY (AsiaNews) - The Bible is the most widely read book in the world. It has already been translated into 2,454 different languages (completely only into 438), but "much remains to be done." In fact there are still 4,500 languages waiting to face the Holy Scriptures, and, considering that Bible Societies gave out only 26 million Bibles in 2006, only 1-2 per cent of the two billion Christians have been reached.

Mgr Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Catholic Biblical Federation, presented all this at a press conference this morning in the Holy See Press Office where he illustrated the results of a survey on reading and understanding the 'Book of Books'.

The Catholic Biblical Federation and the United Bible Societies signed an agreement concerning co-operation in the translation and publication of the Bible in order to meet the need to increase circulation.

The survey results that Archbishop Paglia presented, especially from an ecumenical point of view, shows that the Bible remains the most effective "place"' where Christians can meet.

Conciliar Fathers intuitively knew this and the Instrumentum laboris of the Synod currently underway confirms it.

"In general, it is good to know that the Bible is the main meeting point for prayer and dialogue between Churches and ecclesial communities."

We must consider furthermore that "in ecumenical dialogue the biblical field is where greatest progress has been made. It is also an area that still offers considerable scope for collaboration. There are problems, including some delicate ones, but meeting over the Scriptures today can provide for a more robust encounter among Christians."

Listening together to the Scriptures can also "lead to announcing them together. The same origin of the ecumenical movement is proof of that."

"The Word of God warns all Christians against any form of close-mindedness and encourages them [instead] to walk the path of unity."

Lastly, "by listening together Christians not only find themselves on the path towards unity, but receive a new vigour" from it, Mgr Paglia said.