Bhopal Archbishop Leo Cornelio: A Bible for everyone under Bhopal plan

(July 08, 2010) Bhopal Archdiocese in central India has launched a project to ensure its entire faithful have a personal copy of the Bible to embolden them to give “daily witness” in the Hindu dominated area. Under the “Bible 4 U” program, Bhopal Archdiocese plans to supply a Hindi version of the New Testament to all its 15,000 Catholics, and the complete Bible to every Catholic family. Archbishop Leo Cornelio of Bhopal said that distribution would be completed this month. The Bibles are free, but those willing to make contributions can do so, he said. People “live in a very hostile environment coupled with the daily influences of materialism.” Reading the Bible every day would help people give witness in their lives, the archbishop said. Christian people in Bhopal have suffered over 150 violent attacks against them and their institutions since the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party came to power seven years ago. Christians form less than one percent of the some 60 million people in Madhya Pradesh. Hindus make up the majority. “To lead a pious life in such a hostile environment, we have to take inspiration from the Bible, failing which the faithful can drift away from the herd,” Archbishop Cornelio said. The archdiocese is planning to organize Bible-based competitions to spread its message to all. Earlier Bhopal had already launched the first Hindi Catholic Bible online website. Archbishop Leo Cornelio, who heads the Catholic Church in Madhya Pradesh state, described the website as the Church’s gift to Hindi speaking people, the country’s largest linguistic group.