Government and religious officials yesterday began distributing free bibles to Christian residents of four sub-districts in Merauke as part of a program to strengthen faith in the region. Sacred Heart Father Apolinaris Miller Senduk said the timing of the program, which will see the free distribution of 3,000 bibles, was intentional to coincide with the Christmas holiday. “The news about the Nativity can be echoed in the villages,” he said. The program will continue until December 28.