Reading, listening to Bible give Christians hope, unity, say bishops

Published: 2008-02-27

ROME (CNS) -- Reading the Bible and listening to the word of God are the surest ways to find hope in difficult situations and to foster unity among Christians -- and even among members of different religions, several bishops said. Maronite Bishop Simon Atallah of Baalbek, Lebanon, said the forces that are trying to destabilize his country "are trying to silence the word of God" among both Christians and Muslims. "Both Muslims and Christians have seen that it is not weapons and war that give hope for the future, but God," he said Feb. 27 during the annual conference of bishop-friends of the Focolare Movement, a worldwide Catholic lay movement. The Feb. 23-29 conference focused on the Scriptures in preparation for the October world Synod of Bishops on the Bible. Cardinal Miloslav Vlk of Prague, Czech Republic, told reporters that when the communists controlled every aspect of organized religion in his country people were left only with their Bibles.

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