ASIA/PHILIPPINES - The Bible is the most widely read book in the Philippines: 10 million copies have been distributed over 10 years

Wednesday, 24 October 2018 bible   faith   natural catastrophe   catholic movements   catholic church  

Manila (Agenzia Fides) - The Bible was by far the most read book in 2017 in the Philippines. This is stated in a recent survey by the National Book Development Board, a government body. According to the results of the survey, examined by Agenzia Fides, despite the growing secularization in the country with a large Catholic majority, 72% of the population still reads the Sacred Scripture.
Bishop Arturo Bastes of Sorsogon, who for years presided over the Episcopal Commission for the biblical apostolate, welcomed the results of the survey and told Fides that "it is good news that the Bible remains a very read book in our country". The Bishop reports that "in the last 10 years 10 million copies of the Bible have been distributed to the Filipino families".
"Despite the frequent use of social media and modern means, Filipinos do not forget to read the Bible as a source of comfort and inspiration to face the challenges of the present: not only Catholics, but also the faithful of other Christian denominations read the Bible to start their day", says to Fides Jayson Marco Caesar Leones, assistant at the Centro Escolar of Manila University.
"I remember a song that speaks of the importance of reading the Bible and says: take the Bible, open it, read it, understand it, it is the source of our hope, the Filipinos, known to be resilient in times of calamity and disaster, by reading and listening to the Word of God in the Holy Scriptures, gain strength and courage to be ready to face the storms of life", says Leones, a Catholic layman.
The National Book Development Board had already promoted a similar survey in 2012 and at the time 58% of those interviewed said that the Bible was the most read book. The Philippines has a population of 110 million, 80% Catholics, divided into 86 dioceses. (SD) (Agenzia Fides, 24/10/2018)


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