Latest News #225 - Italy
December 12, 2002

The following news concerns Italy.

Cardinal Martini, Archbishop of Milan, retires:
Bible work ‘a central issue’ in his life

MILAN, Italy — Recently the retirement was announced of the Archbishop of Milan, Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini. The United Bible Societies (UBS) sent him a letter expressing profound gratitude for all the work he had done in the UBS context, Dr Jan de Waard writes.

In 1964 Cardinal Martini, at that time Professor of New Testament Textual Studies at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, became a member of the editorial committee for the UBS Greek New Testament. Even when he was in charge of the archdiocese of Milan, reputedly the largest in the world, he found the time to attend the long session of the committee in August 1981 in Freudenstadt, southwest Germany, at which the final form of the fourth revised edition of the Greek New Testament was established.

Bible work has long been a central issue in the life of Dr Martini. It was at his initiative that, in November 1980, the so-called ‘School of the Word’ was founded with the aim of making the message of the Bible more accessible to the people of God. It has proved a successful model, not only in Italy but elsewhere.

In an interconfessional context, the cardinal’s advice has been very valuable with regard to the selection of competent Roman Catholic candidates as UBS translation consultants. In 1973, while rector of the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, he wrote an important introduction to the thesis La Parola Tradotta, presented by one of the first Roman Catholic UBS translation consultants, Dr Carlo Buzzetti.

In his letter of thanks to UBS, Cardinal Martini stressed his two major occupations for the coming time: biblical studies and intercessory prayer for the many needs of the Church and the world. May we continue to experience rich fruits from his words and work.