Translating the Bible, making a copy affordable, helping people understand it and, especially, helping people live its message are important tasks for the Catholic Church, although the priorities differ from continent to continent.

Before individuals began addressing the world Synod of Bishops, synod organizers chose five bishops to report Oct. 6 on "The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church" in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania.

The Vatican released four of the reports early Oct. 7; the report on the Americas was not immediately available.

Nigerian Archbishop John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan of Abuja, a well-known biblical scholar, said most African Catholics were thirsting so much for the word of God that "they were ready to lap dirty water from the poisonous pools in non-Catholic terrains."

While the archbishop praised the remarkable work done by mainline Protestant churches and organizations to translate, print and distribute Bibles in Africa, he also said there were many anti-Catholic, fundamentalist groups using the Bible to try to lead Catholics away from the church.

"Africa is unfortunately the dumping ground for all kinds of crazy ideas from other continents," he said.

Since the Second Vatican Council, Archbishop Onaiyekan said, the Catholic Church has made great strides in emphasizing the importance of the Bible in the liturgy and in the life of the faithful.

While missionaries were motivated by the Gospel, they taught the people the catechism and Catholic doctrine, not the Bible, he said.

"It used to be said that while Protestants went to church carrying their Bibles, the Catholics went to church clutching their rosaries and their missals, if they had any," the archbishop said.

Indian Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil of Guwahati, presenting the report on Asia, said that while Christianity was born on the continent, its declaration as the official religion of the Roman Empire in the fourth century identified it so closely with the West that most Asians resisted its message.

When Asians are drawn to Christianity, he said, they are attracted less by preaching than by the "'word' translated into action."

Offering health care and education, helping the unemployed and the oppressed, caring for people with AIDS or drug addictions, fighting the caste system and discrimination against women, Catholics have shown Asians the true meaning of the Gospel, the archbishop said.

"Even where the Gospel is resisted most, the evangelical witness of socially relevant works finds welcome," he said. "Silent but sincere service has an eloquence of its own."

Referring directly to fundamentalist Hindu attacks on Christians in India recently, as well as other situations of pressure or outright persecution, Bishop Menamparampil said, "the patience manifested by the community, the restraint shown, the moderation in response, the spirit of forgiveness --- all these have an evangelizing power."

Croatian Cardinal Josip Bozanic of Zagreb said the word of God was the foundation of European history and was what kept East European Christians attached to their faith under communist regimes.

"All that has made European culture and civilization great --- the Europe of the thousand cathedrals, the Europe of the custodians of art treasures, of literature and Christian music, the Europe that expressed real signs of solidarity and service to the poor through the emphatic force of Christian charity --- found its origins in the Bible," he said.

Acknowledging Europe's declining religious practice and increasing secularization, Cardinal Bozanic said, "When man does not listen to what God says, inevitably he will start speaking in God's place."

Fortunately, he said, there appears to be a new interest in Bible reading on the continent and, particularly, in praying with the Scriptures.

Australian Bishop Michael Putney of Townsville, presenting a report on the word of God in Oceania, said liturgical rituals used at the July celebration of World Youth Day in Sydney and the enthusiasm of the crowds demonstrated the deep traditional reverence for the Bible among the region's people and the thirst of young people to know more about the Scriptures and church teaching.

Like at World Youth Day, "in many places the procession of the word of God in the liturgy is a very vibrant cultural expression of faith in God's word," he said.

Translating the Bible into the region's estimated 1,200 local languages is still a challenge, the bishop said, as is giving space to local cultural expressions of celebration and reverence.

The Catholic Church throughout Oceania is turning its attention "to the need to engage in a new evangelization of our part of the world, especially in the secular culture of Australia and New Zealand. However, at the present time no one method or even a shared understanding of what is required in practical terms has emerged," Bishop Putney said.

Rabbi asks pope, synod leaders to support Israel
Also on Oct. 6, Israeli Rabbi Shear-Yashuv Cohen, the chief rabbi of Haifa, asked Pope Benedict XVI and top Catholic leaders to continue learning to appreciate the Jewish people and to speak out to defend Israel.

"I thank God who has kept us alive to be together and work for a future of peace and coexistence the world over," the 80-year-old rabbi told the assembled bishops with Pope Benedict sitting nearby.

Rabbi Cohen spoke of the centrality of the word of God in Jewish life and prayer and its continuing relevance in responding to modern concerns, including promoting the dignity of human life, fighting promiscuity and secularism, and encouraging tolerance and peace.

But Rabbi Cohen made a veiled criticism of plans to beatify Pope Pius XII, who the rabbi and others say did not speak out strongly enough in defense of the Jews during World War II.

"We cannot forget the sad, the painful fact of how many, including great religious leaders, did not raise a voice in the effort to save our brethren, but chose to keep silent and help secretly," the rabbi told the synod.

"We cannot forgive and forget it," he said. "And we hope that you understand our pain, our sorrow over the immediate past in Europe."

The rabbi also asked Catholic leaders to speak out against anti-Semitism and attacks on the state of Israel. Addressing the United Nations Sept. 23, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Israel was on a "definite slope to collapse" and accused Jews of "dominating an important portion of the financial and monetary centers of some European countries and the U.S. in a deceitful, complex and furtive manner."

Rabbi Cohen told the synod, "We hope to get your help as religious leaders --- as well as the help of the entire free world --- to protect, defend and save Israel, the one and only sovereign state of the 'people of the book,' from the hands of our enemies. Being here with you makes me feel that we can expect your help."

---CNS