The Archbishopric of Valencia has published the Gospels in Valencian for the first time, an initiative that seeks to "transmit the faith and the word of God" in the co-official language of the Valencian Community to parishioners who wish to do so." This is how Edgar Esteve values it. , Diocesan Delegate of Liturgy of the Archbishopric, who highlights that 5,000 copies have been distributed among parishes, Catholic schools and faithful.
The news, reported by Levante-EMV and reported on by this newspaper, represents a qualitative leap in the use of Valencian by the Archbishopric, which since the arrival of Enrique Benavent as Archbishop already makes partial use of the language of the Valencians in the pastoral letters and publications of the Diocese.
The book in pocket format, 'Evangeli per a cada dia 2024', the publication arises as a result of "the will of the viewers of the mass in Valencian that is broadcast every Sunday on À Punt to have the texts to be able to follow the celebration and so that the members of the parishes who speak Valencian can pray every day in their language. In fact, the texts released have been prepared from those used on the Valencian public Radio Television.
Thus, 'Evangeli per a cada dia', in addition to having the readings of all the masses that will be celebrated throughout the year, also includes those of the Community's own festivals such as Sant Vicent Ferrer. In addition, comments prepared by a group of priests and lay people from the Diocese have been introduced, so that their application to the life of the believer is "easier," indicated Esteve.
After learning of the faithful's desire to have the Gospel texts in Valencian, the priest assures that the Diocese got "hands to work" and in "three months" they wrote the manual that they hope will be printed annually.
"We want to give continuity to the action and for it to be present for all those who need it and, in some way, see the need. We have to start from the base, first with the Eucharists and, if there is demand, the church will always respond to the needs of God's people," he stated.
In this sense, he indicated that the project has been carried out when "the need" has been seen: "Many religious schools, where a prayer is said every morning before starting classes, have been asking for it and the dissemination of the mass of À Punt, which was promoted by the previous archbishop, Antonio Cañizares, has been very important for the normalization of praying in Valencian", he stressed.
The book has been distributed to all parishes and also among Catholic schools and believers, but "the greatest demand" has been, above all, in Valencian-speaking areas such as "La Marina, La Ribera or La Safor, although also in the city of Valencia." , stated Edgar Esteve.
For his part, the episcopal vicar and parish priest of the Church of the Assumption in Torrent, Jesús Corbí, who has been in charge of the dissemination of the evangelical texts, has told Europa Press that the texts used to carry out the edition have been those of the Valencian Language Academy (AVL); the Book of the People of God; the texts of the mass of À Punt; the Biblia Valenciana Interconfessional, in addition to the contributions of the philologists of the Diocese.
All of this in order to be able to edit liturgical texts that are "closer" to current Valencian regulations and thus be "consensual" Valencian. Regarding whether the consensus is based on the norms of the AVL, the parish priest has indicated that, "in some way, the AVL gives its word even if it is not the last and definitive one, but that is the basis."
"We always hear the word of God in Spanish and the idea is that Valencian citizens and others from outside can listen to it in Valencian; that children are educated in Valencian both at school and in institute and that young Christians and families to be able to transmit the faith and the word of God in Valencian," noted the parish priest.
Thus, he has stated that both having masses in Valencian and evangelical texts in the language has been a demand defended by a "minority" part of the Church but that it is a request from "a long time ago."
In this sense, Jesús Corbí has pointed out that the presence of a "greater social conscience" within the Church and a "greater sensitivity" on the part of the Archbishop, Enrique Benavent, has "added" to achieving this.
However, he points out that it is a "long" process that "has to happen normally and without fanfare." "That is our intention because in other times the use of Valencian was conflictive and problematic," he concluded.
