Interview with FATHER ALBERTO ROSSA, CMF

"This year, we will print more than one million Bibles in China"

This article was published in the Portuguese edition of O Clarim, the Catholic Weekly of Macau, on Friday, 9 August 2024. The English Translation is by the Pastoral Bible Foundation, Hong Kong

Born in Argentina, Father Alberto Rossa revolutionised the way the Word of God reaches people a quarter of a century ago. The creation of the Foundation for Biblical Ministry in the Philippines in 1999 has helped bring the message of the Bible to millions of people in regions such as East Asia and Latin America. The organisation, part of the Claretian Missionaries, has published millions of copies of the Bible and other Gospel-centered publications in almost thirty languages. Father Alberto Rossa, in an interview with O CLARIM.

CLARIM—You set up the Pastoral Bible Foundation 25 years ago. How do you see this initiative a quarter of a century later? Did you imagine it could grow as much as it has?

FATHER ALBERTO ROSSA - Not at all. I started from nothing. In fact, I entered the publishing world forty years ago in the Philippines with different publications. But then I started dedicating my time to translating and publishing the Bible. Twenty-five years ago, in 1999, I founded the Pastoral Bible Foundation in the Philippines. Shortly afterwards, I came here to Macau. I spent ten years in Macau and now have another nine years in Hong Kong. Our main ministry is to render the Word of God in a language that everyone can understand, with commentaries that can reflect or connect the lives of those who read it with the sacred texts. We publish the Bible in twelve different languages. Our latest project is also one of the most gratifying. We are currently printing the Old Testament in Chinese. The New Testament has already been published. Our aim is to launch a new translation of the Bible into modern Chinese next year, directly from the original languages. We're doing two different translations: one for mainland China, not only in simplified characters but also in the way they speak. And we're doing another translation in traditional characters. We have about ninety per cent of the work finished.

CL—This is a mammoth task, considering that there are no more than three dozen Claretian missionaries in the East Asian region.

Rossa: - Yes, there are very few of us. But it's not just about that. Our missionaries are in this region, but not just for this ministry. This is just one more ministry among the missions entrusted to the Claretians. I carry out this task practically alone, with the help of a team of people who are in China and abroad. There is a lady who has worked with me for 33 years. We're also printing Bibles for Latin America. We send half a million copies to Brazil every year. This year we're going to print more than a million Bibles in and the "Bible Diary" in China. We also publish in Spanish. We are currently working on a special edition of the Bible in Spanish. This work is being conducted in several other languages, but our main focus is on finishing the new edition of the Bible in Chinese, which I was telling you about.

CL - It's not exactly easy translating the Bible into Chinese. What are the main challenges that need to be addressed?

Rossa: - No, it's not easy. Before anything else, we have to use the original languages. In other words, we have to work with Chinese scholars who understand and can read Hebrew and Greek. After these scholars finish a draft of the translations, the text is submitted to a team of Chinese editors, located in China and abroad. They review the work, read the translation, and then try to apply the literary touch that the Chinese attribute to the texts. This team, responsible for editing, sends the text back to the original translators and tells them: “The translation may be acceptable, but we don't really understand the Chinese text.” 

The translation circulates in this way until a version—which satisfies both parties—is reached. After that, we contact the Bishops' Conference to ask for permission to print. We've recently received an important blessing because a few days ago, we were granted permission by the Chinese authorities, by a local government in China, to print part of the Bible, and that's exactly what we're going to do. This is one of the challenges. The other challenges are shared with languages such as Portuguese, Spanish, or English. 

In some languages, we have more than twenty or thirty Catholic Bibles, but in Chinese, we only have one for Catholics, which was published sixty years ago. This Bible is written in very difficult Chinese, which people don't fully understand. In a nutshell, we want to cover a very specific area. There are three areas when it comes to biblical ministry: one is for academics, translations that specialists can study and develop scientifically. It's a very difficult text for ordinary people to understand. 

There is another translation of the Bible focused on the Liturgy. And then there's a third translation, which we've called pastoral, aimed at everyone. Our criterion is exactly that: that a fifteen-year-old Chinese boy or girl can read and understand the Bible. We use simple language but without distorting the original.

CL—You also publish the "Daily Gospel" and Bible commentaries. These are quite essential for a population that, in general, doesn't know basic aspects about the life of Jesus, for example.

Rossa: - Exactly. That was one of the reasons why I started publishing the "Bible Diary" in 1985. From then on, we started publishing the "Bible Diary" and the "Daily Gospel" on a regular basis. Both titles are published around the world in 28 languages. Every year, we publish more than a million copies. What's more, other publishing houses, particularly Catholic ones, have copied the idea—God bless them! —and we are now transmitting these daily readings to countless people. 

Now [Father] Jijo is doing the same but for children. On the other hand, over the last six or seven years, I've dedicated eighty per cent of my time to the mission of evangelising in the virtual world. I've published more than 2,500 videos about the Gospel in five languages. People can no longer say they don't have access to biblical texts. Many young people prefer their cell phones...

CL - Is this the future of the Church? For centuries, the very idea of the Church was closely linked to a building where people went to pray to God. This concept has changed...

Rossa: - Of course! People are the Church. I also work in a parish in Hong Kong and I realise that the catechists, with great goodwill, are teaching catechesis to the children, but what I tell them is that they are not really transmitting the essence of God: "You are teaching doctrine; you are teaching dogma.

 Forget all that. First, you have to start teaching them that God loves unconditionally. You have to let them feel that God reaches out to them. Only later do we teach them dogmas, morals, and other things. It's a change in the way we approach people. It takes a lot of time and insistence and demands a new biblical approach from the Church. The Church has asked that all pastoral activities be animated and conducted on the basis of the Bible. 

Everything the Church offers has to be grounded and centred on the word of God, particularly the Gospel. This is a great challenge not only for priests but also for catechists and teachers. Everything needs to be rooted in the Gospel. That is my mission.

The Church in China today belongs to the Chinese faithful

Interview with Fr. Francisco Carin, East Asia 

The conclusion of the 175th Claretian Jubilee Year festivities in the East Asia area was marked with a closing Mass held at the Church of St. Lawrence in Macau on July 27. Bishop Stephen Lee of the Diocese of Macau presided over the Jubilee Mass, with Claretian Bishop Josep Maria Abella of the Diocese of Fukuoka, Japan and 25 other priests, including Father Francisco Carin, CMF., the superior of the Claretian Missionaries' Delegation in East Asia, concelebrating.

While talking to O Clarim, the Catholic Weekly of the Diocese of Macau, Father Carin deliberated on the Claretian vision for the Mission in China, its contributions and challenges. 

In response to a question about the lack of missionaries working in the vast East Asia region, Father Carin stated, “My position is very similar to that of Lei Ming Yuan: China is for the Chinese. I believe that the primary driving force for spreading the Christian faith in China should come from the Chinese Church and the Chinese people.” 

Belgian priest Lei Ming arrived in China in March 1901 and actively followed Venerable Matteo Ricci's cultural adaptation strategy, choosing to live like a Chinese. Due to his deep affection for China, he directly contributed to the localization of Catholicism in China and dedicated his life to spreading the Gospel there. In his own words, "Pay no attention to my eyes, pay no attention to my nose; look at my heart. It's a genuine Chinese heart!”

Father Carin stated that Macau was selected as the location for the concluding ceremony of the Jubilee year in East Asia due to its status as the first modern diocese in the region. He noted that Macau played a significant role in the birth and development of many dioceses in East Asia, including some in China. Highlighting the growing openness of the Church, Father Carin expressed hope for a more regular presence of the Church in China, thanks in part to Pope Francis and the agreement between the Holy See and Chinese authorities.

Recognising the contribution of the Pastoral Bible Foundation to the missionary initiatives of the Claretians in the area, Father Carin expressed, "The Pastoral Bible Foundation has been a blessing for us, the Claretian Missionaries of the East Asia Delegation. From the very beginning, the Foundation embraced the task of producing various versions of the Christian Bible. Father Alberto Rossa undertook the endeavour of translating the Bible into Chinese." 

“It was quite a challenging task, contrary to expectations,” says Father Carin. “We already have a very good translation. Deciding whether or not to create a new translation when we have a translation that has been used for so many years was a real challenge. This was largely due to the need for involvement and cooperation from numerous individuals within mainland China. The Chinese-speaking world encompasses diverse regions, including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and mainland China. The way people communicate and express themselves today varies from region to region. In my opinion, the Pastoral Bible Foundation has aimed to incorporate more expressions and speech patterns familiar to people into their Bible translations. 

“I noticed that many individuals engage with the Bible, which is positive, but at the same time, the Chinese language used in the Bible may not align precisely with their everyday spoken Chinese. The "Chinese" Bible as presented by the Pastoral Bible Foundation, along with publications like the "Daily Gospel" and other Gospel and Bible-related projects, has opened for us the door for engaging in dialogue with the Chinese people. Dialogue is crucial, as is connecting with those dedicated to sharing the Gospel with others.”

Looking back on his 30 years of experience with the Church in Taiwan, Father Carin believes that there was substantial growth in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, followed by a period of stagnation in the 1990s. He now sees it as an increasingly mature Church with a focus on religious dialogue and the evangelisation of adults. While acknowledging previous growth through conversions, particularly linked to the expansion of Catholic families through Baptism, he currently perceives it as a vibrant Church. 

“I remember when a group of students from China were preparing to attend the Fu Ren University. I recall that, during that period, some people, including some of the Bishops, were hesitant to permit those seminarians to engage in any ministry. I wrote a brief magazine piece arguing that if Taiwan could contribute one thing to the Church on the mainland, it would be a university. Not a prestigious institution like Harvard or a large seminary, but one that could preach the Gospel. Our focus isn't just on forming a community and spreading the Gospel to people. It's also about allowing priests, nuns, and seminarians to study something useful, such as how to bring the Gospel to society in a less restricted manner.” 

In Taiwan, as they speak Mandarin, it's another opportunity for missionaries to practice. The Church in Taiwan "speaks" English, French, and Spanish, but it is, above all, a Church that offers the experience of sharing the Gospel in the local language. 

In response to a question about the lack of missionaries working in the vast East Asia region, Father Carin stated, “My position is very similar to that of Lei Ming Yuan: China is for the Chinese. I believe that the primary driving force for spreading the Christian faith in China should come from the Chinese Church and the Chinese people.” 

Father Carin further explained, “Previously, missionary work in China was allocated among different congregations: this area is mine, that one is yours. This situation no longer exists, and ever since the Second Vatican Council, the plan has been very clear: the bishop leads the diocese, and the religious congregations are invited by the bishop to assist the dioceses as needed to spread the Gospel to the people.” 

Father Carin believes that the Church has evolved significantly. He expresses confidence that the Chinese government will recognise that the Church is very different from what it was in the 1940s and 1930s when foreign congregations sometimes exerted significant influence. Today, the Church in China belongs to the Chinese believers and the local ecclesiastical hierarchy. Missionaries are simply helpers who hope to contribute with what they can offer.