SW News: Pope Francis urged the faithful to be nourished with the Word of God, especially at this decisive moment, when all must work together to promote Sacred Scripture.

The Holy Father gave this message as he cordially welcomed Sacred Scripture scholars and members of the Italian Biblical Association to Rome for the country's 47th National Bible Week. This year’s theme is Covenant and Alliances between Universalism and Particularism.

The Pope urged his companions, "Dear friends, go forth, go ahead in your mission to aid God's people in being fed by the Word, so that the Bible may increasingly be the heritage of all."

He insisted that the Bible is the book of the Lord's people, which, upon listening to it, passes from dispersion and division to unity, adding that “this is always, the dynamic of the Lord: He sends and seems to disperse, but then He gathers in unity."

The Holy Father praised working together in the service of the Word as the centerpiece of a comprehensive work of cooperation that the Bible Association continuously provides to the Church in Italy. He remembered that the group was one of the country's first theological groups and that it is currently actively involved in the various dioceses, particularly through the organization of Diocesan Bible Weeks, which it sponsors in conjunction with the Biblical Apostolate of the Italian Bishops' Conference.

In addition to collaborating with the Pontifical Biblical Institute, the Holy Father remarked that the Biblical Association does so at this decisive moment for the reform of the Pontifical Universities, where the alliance between academic institutions is not always easy.

He said the Pontifical Biblical Institute remains for many of the Association's members, the 'alma mater' that inspired them to scholarship and apostolate.

The Pope remarked that this offers an example of the synergy that urgently needs to be fostered in Rome and elsewhere between the various study institutes to avoid running the risk of irreparable extinction.