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the Faith. How many people have had theirlives changed, or even begun a completelynew life, as a result of reading a religiousbook or the biography of a saint. We needonly think of Saint Ignatius of Loyola who,lying wounded in hospital as a soldier, readthe lives of the saints and said to himself:“If they can do it, then so can I!”

The Bible and the Catechism, the writingsof the saints, spiritual literature generallyand indeed every good book, can be asignpost through life for us. They can in-spire us in our prayers and actions andteach us the truth about God and man. Agood spiritual book can strengthen thesoul and make you ready to give an answerto every man who asks you the reason forthe hope that is in you (cf. 1 Pt. 3:15).Since its inception, 51 million copies of ACN’sChild’s Bible have been distributed through-out the world. And we continue to supportnumerous projects for the translation andprinting of bibles and other theological,

That great saint Don Bosco once said: “Somany souls have been saved by goodbooks; so many shielded from error andencouraged to do good! Whoever givessomeone a good book, even if it does nomore than awaken the thought of God inthem, has performed an in-comparable service in the sightof God. And in reality how muchmore it usually achieves!” Yes, along with the proclama-tion of the Gospel and the liv-ing witness of the Church, goodspiritual books represent a major contribu-tion to the transmission of the Faith. Firstplace, needless to say, belongs to the Bookof Books, the Holy Scriptures, whichsprings from the very source of divine rev-elation and through which God himselfspeaks to us. That is why ACN, as a pastoralcharity, also places particular emphasis onthe worldwide dissemination of SacredScripture and catechetical and religiousbooks. And even if no book can replace thepersonal proclamation of Jesus, the livingWord of God, nonetheless a good book cangreatly help us to find our way to God andgrow in knowledge and understanding of

catechetical and spiritual writings. Allthese publications serve the pastoral mis-sion of the Church, and many of them arealso essential to the formation of priestsand religious.Another special priority of ACN is the reli-gious formation and catechesis of childrenand young people. To this end, ACN has es-

tablished the YOUCAT Founda-tion, with its own publishinghouse. The foundation pro-duces, publishes and dissemi-nates catechetical publicationsthat are attractive and accessi-ble to young people and that

help them to discover the Catholic Chris-tian Faith as the foundation of their lives.Through publications such as these, we arehelping millions of people to come toknow Jesus Christ and discover true life inHim. So help us, dear friends, to save moresouls through good books!

My grateful blessing on you all.

Father Martin Maria BartaEcclesiastical Assistant

“Good books can inspire our prayer and actions and teach us the truth about God and man.”

The Bible endures. On returning to their village,Iraqi Christians found the Holy Scriptures still there.

© Ismael M

artín

ez Sánchez/ACN

“So what is it you are holdingin your hands? A piece of literature? A collection ofcharming old tales? No.Through the Word of God,light has come into the world,and so what you are holdingin your hands is something divine – a book like fire! A book through which God is speaking to us.” Pope FrancisForeword to the YOUCAT Bible

No. 4 – August 2019 Published six times a year

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According to Pope Francis, an indissoluble bond unites usall in the richness of our ethnic, linguistic and cultural dif-ferences. But in order to recognize this diversity as a truerichness, we need formation of spirit and heart.

The formation required for us to recognize this wealth and soovercome prejudices can be conveyed through discussiongroups, symposia, courses and seminars. The Center for Peacein the archdiocese of Lahore in Pakistan offers a whole range ofapproaches for the promotion of dialogue between Christiansand Muslims. In this way “we can come to know the religion ofthe other person and create a culture of tolerance, acceptanceand peaceful coexistence,” says the director of the center,

Seeking shared valuesDominican Father James Channan. Cardinal Joseph Coutts,Archbishop of Karachi, also recognizes the importance of thisdialogue, given the current situation in Pakistan. He adds, “Weare seeking shared values. We are offering a message that willhelp to overcome prejudices.” The center has established athree-year project that will run until 2021. In this overwhelm-ingly Islamic nation, in which Christians make up barely 1.8% ofthe population and in which over 40% of the population can nei-ther read nor write and where violence, discrimination againstminorities, fanaticism and abuse of the so-called blasphemylaws are a daily occurrence, such dialogue is no mere matter ofwindow dressing but rather one of sheer survival. Father Jameshas asked for our help, and we have promised him $22,600.

Coming together in a spirit of forgiveness is the goal of the Ross-ing Center for Education and Dialogue in Jerusalem. Only in thisway can reconciliation grow in hearts and minds. Around 100Christians, Jews and Muslims from Israel and Palestine are tak-ing part in a new, two-year course, which involves several inten-sive multi-day seminars and workshops in Israel and Jordan.They are being trained as experts in conflict resolution and willlater also serve as “multipliers,” who will spread the message ofChristian love to others.

The course, “Fostering Reconciliation, and Overcoming Hatred”is a model project and quite unique in terms of Israeli-Pales-tinian relations. The total cost of the two-year course is$136,800. ACN is contributing $75,400. •

Interfaith dialogue

Reconciliation is notalways easy: work-shop in Jerusalem for “multipliers.”

Who we are: FatherJames describes thelife of Christians.

In case of surplus, your donation will go to similar

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With the Popes blessingsSaint John Paul II was present and was delighted when, in1979, the Child’s Bible was first presented at the GeneralConference of the Latin American Episcopate in Puebla, Mex-ico. In Brazil, Pope Benedict XVI was presented by a childwith the 10 millionth copy of the Portuguese edition at theFazenda da Esperança in Guaratinguetá and Pope Francishimself, while still Cardinal Archbishop of Buenos Aires, re-quested thousands of copies of the same Child’s Bible.

Now, after 40 years we have reached a staggering total of51,188,209 copies published and distributed (as of June 2019).And this is not the end. Daily, requests and enquiries come in fromall over the world. Many parishes, dioceses and religious ordersare unable to pay the printing costs themselves. For example, theseven dioceses in Pakistan (80,000 copies in Urdu at a cost of$72,100) or the Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine (50,000 copiesillustrated with icons for $37,600). Similarly, the Diocese ofTarahumara in northern Mexico cannot afford the $14,000 costfor the 10,000 copies it needs. So we are helping – and therebyalso helping the parents who attend the Bible study lessonsweekly with their children.

Thank you letters come in daily from all over the world. For exam-ple, in Mozambique, so terribly plagued by recent natural disasters,it is the only book many children have. “You cannot imagine,”writes Father Ottorino, “just what an impact such a little book canhave in people’s hearts.” 13-year-old Dieudonné wrote from Togoto thank us, saying “All the words of Jesus make us reflect and giveus meaning to our lives.” Many people are deeply moved. LittleMikel in Albania feels “so sad about Jesus.” And from a Brazilianprison we received these words: “I’m in prison for killing someone.

I have AIDS. God alone knows what is going on inside me. I don’tknow what I am going to do with my life, but one thing is certain:this little Bible will help me.”

Nobody knows what fruit these 51 million ‘grains of wheat’ in theform of the Child’s Bible will ultimately bear or how many millionsof souls will be saved by them in the decades to come. There is ablessing on this little book, ever since Father Werenfried firstlaunched it in 1979 with these words: “Children need somethinglike a child’s Bible, so that the image of Jesus may become a livingone in their hearts.” The seed has surely taken root in the heartsof many children and, thanks to your generosity, will not cease toflourish. •

40 years of the ACN Child’s Bible

Kazakhstan, September 2001:showing Pope John Paul II her Bible in Kazakh.

© And

rzej Polec

projects that will enable the pastoral work of ACN.

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Need, love and thanks − your letters

Thomas Heine-Geldern,Executive President, ACN (International)

Dear Friends,It is always a joy to us ‘oldies’ to seepictures of joyful and committedyoung people whenever we read re-ports of a World Youth Day for exam-ple, or a big meeting of one of thespiritual movements. It is proof thatour mission of guiding the next gener-ation to God and to a personal rela-tionship with Jesus Christ is indeedachievable.

To help attain this goal still more suc-cessfully, ACN has been committed formany years now to supporting the family and youth apostolate. We arehelping with a range of formation pro-grams of this kind with our projectpartners, and in particular of coursewith our popular Child’s Bible, still sosought after over 40 years and onevery continent. Added to this are the rapidly spreading books of the YOUCAT series. These are availablenot only to our brothers and sisters ofthe Church in need, but to each andevery family that strives to spread theGospel word.

Thanks to your generous help we canin this way build solid bridges ofshared knowledge of our faith and soinspire young people with enthusiasmfor God and His love.

My heartfelt thanks to you all.

Profound solidarity I’ve put aside some of my savings in orderto help our Christian brothers and sisterswho have to fear for their lives on accountof their faith in Jesus Christ. I feel a sense ofprofound solidarity with them, as living wit-nesses who are suffering a daily martyrdomand many of whom have even given theirlives. And so I’ve decided to pass over otherappeals and am sending you this checkfrom my vacation money. I rejoice to sharewith my suffering brothers and sisters inthis way. Please use it to support the poor-est churches in their most basic necessities.

A benefactress in Portugal

Thank you for your missionI want to thank you and encourage you withmy donation for the wonderful mission withwhich you are comforting the hearts of ourpersecuted brothers and sisters, dryingtheir tears and rekindling their hope, with awarmth so urgently needed in the darknessof the present time, and also for bringing toothers the torch of the Gospel light, our LordJesus Christ, the Light of the world.

A benefactor in France

Editor: Jürgen Liminski,ACN International, Postfach 1209, D–61452 Königstein, Germany – Responsible publisher: Marie–ClaudeLalonde, Aid to the Church in Need(Canada) Inc. (See address – opposite). De l icentia compe tentis auctoritatis ecclesiasticae. www.acn-intl.org

Send your donation to: Aid to the Church in Need (Canada) Inc.P.O. Box 670, Stn. H, Montreal, QC H3G 2M6

(514) 932–0552 – 1–800–585–6333Website: www.acn-canada.org – email: info@acn-canada.org

Registration number 13036 2593 RR0001

Please indicate your benefactor number in your correspondence.