More participation in the Church through Bible texts in Easy Language
On December 3, the global community celebrates the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. This World Day was established in 1993 by the United Nations and focuses on the rights, dignity, and participation of people with disabilities.
The German Bishops' Conference, together with the Katholisches Bibelwerk e. V., takes this day as an opportunity to highlight the importance of the Bible in Easy Language for an inclusive Church.
Auxiliary Bishop Dr. Reinhard Hauke (Erfurt), Commissioner of the German Bishops' Conference for Inclusive Pastoral Care, emphasizes the value of these texts for pastoral practice: "They are used in various situations: Many pastoral workers who want to make their work inclusive tell me that they like to use elements in Easy Language in services, devotions, and discussion groups, and that the Bible in Easy Language is a great support in the preparation." At the same time, Auxiliary Bishop Hauke invites us to broaden the perspective: In addition to Easy Language, there are numerous other ways to improve the accessibility of biblical texts, liturgical celebrations, and church offerings. "I would like to encourage everyone to work together to make (faith) communication more barrier-free - for example, through Easy Language, but also through sign language, Braille or various audio formats. The question of how we convey information and enable understanding is central on the path to a society that realizes equal rights and participation for all."
The Katholisches Bibelwerk e. V. is celebrating this year's World Day with a ceremony in Stuttgart on the occasion of three years of "Old Testament in Easy Language". In addition to the celebration of an inclusive service, the book of Genesis in Easy Language and another volume with 12 surprising texts from the Old Testament will also be presented to the public for the first time. "With the translation of biblical texts from the Old Testament, a large gap could be closed," says Dr. Katrin Brockmöller, Director of the Katholisches Bibelwerk e. V. "Because in addition to the existing Sunday Gospels in Easy Language, people with cognitive impairments can now also deepen their faith through Old Testament texts. They can participate in the liturgy, in discussion groups, and in personal reading of the entire Holy Scripture."
BackgroundThe Gospel in Easy Language has been available since 2013, which was created in cooperation between the Katholisches Bibelwerk e. V. with the Akademie Caritas-Pirckheimer-Haus in Nuremberg and Sr. Paulis Mels, Franciscan of Thuine. In addition to the biblical texts, the Eucharistic Prayer in Easy Language, which was released for testing by the German Bishops' Conference in 2024, is also an important building block for barrier-free services.
Notes:
Bible texts in Easy Language and further information are available on the website www.bibel-leichte-sprache.de.
The celebration of Holy Mass. Eucharistic Prayer in Easy Language. Published by the Deutsches Liturgisches Institut for liturgical use on behalf of the German Bishops' Conference is available from the Deutsches Liturgisches Institut.
The work aid Leben und Glauben gemeinsam gestalten, published by the German Bishops' Conference, which offers approaches to a more inclusive Church and itself contains parts in Easy Language, is available at www.dbk.de under the Publications section.
