Catholic Church considers the National Bible Day created by Congress of Guatemala

The Guatemala Congress approved a law that declares the first Saturday of August as the National Bible Day, something that the Catholic Church in the country described as “unnecessary.”

Fr. Luis René Sandoval Quinteros, Communication Director of the Archbishopric of Santiago de Guatemala, said in an interview with ACI Prensa that “having created a law of a secular state that celebrates the Holy Scripture on a specific day, and also for a national urgency mechanism, it seems strange and it also seems to us that each institution has to fulfill its functions”.

According to the Congress press roomthe law was approved with 110 favorable votes, of a total of 160 deputies, through a national emergency procedure on August 12. The text establishes that commemoration seeks to “guarantee respect for the rights inherent in human dignity, promoting the integral development of all inhabitants, including its spiritual, ethical and cultural dimension.” During the celebration it is planned to carry out “educational, civic and cultural activities that highlight the importance of this sacred book in Guatemalan society”.

Fr. Sandoval Quinteros said that “having such important issues” nationwide, “we think it’s a bit strange and we don’t know the background by which this Bible day was created.”

He also pointed out that Catholics were not “consulted as a church and it seems to us that it does not make any sense for us”, already having a full month dedicated to the Holy Scripture.

The Catholic Church dedicates September to the Bible, commemorating on September 30 to San Jerónimo de Estridón, commissioned by Pope Dámaso I of translating the Bible into Latin, used from the fourth century and adopted by some Protestant confessions. “Therefore, it seems to us to some extent unnecessary for the Catholic Church to have more celebrations,” said the Guatemalan priest.

Bernardo Arévalo: “For the believer it is not necessary”

The president of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo, at a press conference On August 18, he announced that he would not veto the law “because it does not affect the secular nature of the State (…), it does not declare the Bible as an official text or as an official religion.”

“The Bible Day is every day and is celebrated by practicing it, not making a statement in the Congress of the Republic for people whose practices one doubts if they are really attached to the principles,” said the president.

However, he pointed out that he would respect the decision of the congressmen, although he added “frankly, for the believer it is not necessary to have one day of the Bible.”

Church separation – State

Regarding the separation between Church and State, Fr. Sandoval Quinteros stressed that “it must be healthy, because just as we do not intervene in the development of the State, the State should not intervene in the faith of people. That minority that is not Christian must be respected and must be included.”

He added that the State must “guarantee religious freedom, because we remember that in Guatemala, even being a minority, not all are Christians.” Although there are no official data on religion in the country, According to Latinobarometer In 2023 the evangelical Christians represented 44.2% of the population; followed by Catholics, with 42.4%.

The priest called for focusing on social issues, in order to really fulfill “the word of God, which he wants all men to save and reach the knowledge of the truth.” Therefore, he said, to “legislate in favor of the brothers, in terms of health, security, education, they will truly comply with the law, the law of God and human law.”

The Guatemalan initiative joins similar measures in other Latin American countries, such as El Salvador y Dominican Republicwhich also have a national day dedicated to the Bible, promoted by the Government.