Father Antonio Navarette Jr., director of the Biblical Apostolate of the Archdiocese of Manila, celebrates Mass with Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila to mark the National Bible Sunday in February. (Photo by Roy Lagarde)
Lack of funds has been hampering an ecumenical project to distribute copies of the Bible to poor Filipino families.
"There's no money. We have had fundraising activities in the past but it's really not enough," said Father Antonio Navarette Jr., director of the Biblical Apostolate of the Archdiocese of Manila.
The project, a joint initiative of the Philippine Bible Society and the Catholic bishops' Commission on Bible Apostolate, has not seen much progress, the priest said.
Father Navarette said many Catholics think that the Philippine Bible Society is a Protestant organization.
"Of course not. Catholic bishops are members of the board and we have been in collaboration with the group," he said.
Started in 2008, the "May They Be One" campaign originally sought to distribute 5 million copies of the Bible to 5 million families in five years.
The project aims to raise funds for the printing and distribution at the subsidized price of about US$1 each. The production cost of a Bible is about US$3.
In 2013, only about 8,600 copies were distributed to different communities.
The project was extended to 2015, but to date it has only been able to distribute about 1.3 million copies of the Bible that was translated into nine different Filipino languages.
"Looking at the pace it is going, completion in two years time is still unimaginable," said Father Navarette.
"Our appeal is for continued support so that our poor families will have their own Bible," the priest said, adding that giving a Bible is a "good act of mercy."
The project was launched in response to a nationwide survey that showed 60 percent of Filipinos do not have a copy nor access to the Bible.