(ANS – Rome)
– With the reading last Sunday 5 October of chapter one of the Book of
Genesis by Pope Benedict XVI there began in the Basilica of the Holy Cross
in Jerusalem
in
Rome, “The Bible night and day,” a
continuous reading of the sacred text from beginning to end night and day
until next Saturday. 7 days and 6 nights of reading without interruption or
comment, of the Old and New Testaments.
Organised by Vatican Radio, in collaboration with Raiuno and Rai Educational, on Italian State Television, it is being broadcast by the Rai Edu 2 channel and on a specially created web site. The first and the last hour are also being broadcast on Rai1.
According to information provided by the RAI, there are 1144 readers involved in this veritable Biblical marathon being broadcast from the Roman Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem. Non-Christian readers including some members of the Jewish community will read passages from the Old Testament in a hall near the Basilica. The list of readers includes politicians, journalists, university lecturers, personalities from sport, the arts and show business as well as Catholic and Orthodox Bishops and representatives of the Reformed Churches.
Interspersed with the reading of Sacred Scripture will be 86 pieces of music inspired by the Bible.
Some Salesians are also among the readers. Fr Pascual Chávez, Rector Major of the Salesians, tomorrow 8 October at 21.27 (GMT+1), will be reading chapter 18 from the Book of Proverbs; Cardinal Oscar A. Rodríguez Maradiaga, archbishop of Tegucigalpa (Honduras), on Thursday 9 October at 7.59 (GMT+1), will read chapter 29 of the book of the prophet Isaiah; and finally Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Secretary of State of the Holy Father, will conclude with chapter 22 of the Apocalypse on Saturday 11 October at 13.09 (GMT+1).