50 thousand Gospels with a dedication from Pope Francis were distributed in only one morning. The initiative was thus a successful one, which saw the Pontifical Council for the Family and the American Bible Society give to the elderly and grandparents present at St. Peter’s with the Holy Father a gift of extraordinary nature.
Why would one give such a gift to the elderly? The response given by the editor of the copies distributed in St. Peter’s, Valdo Bertalot of the Bible Society in Italy, was as follows : “Behind our initiative there is the very Word of God, that on the one hand invites believers to share with their children, from one generation to the next, the great and powerful works that God has wrought for his people (see Deuteronomy 6 and Psalm 78, 5-7). Grandfathers and Grandmothers have, in fact, a vocation to help the faith of children and grandchildren grow in the light of Sacred Scripture. We chose Mark in particular, above all because the Church this year is reading, listening, meditating, praying and proclaiming this Gospel; and in second place because according to the ancient Church Mark wrote his Gospel in the Capital of the Empire, for the first Christian community of Rome.”
There are still numerous copies available of the Gospel distributed September 28. Payment is only requested for the cost of shipping, and not for the copies themselves. Please write via email (pcf@family.va) to Mr. Mauro Maturi, with a telephone number for contact and the number of copies requested.
