The Directorate General of Catholic Religious Guidance of the Ministry of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia (Kemenag RI) during his visit to the Indonesian Bible Institute (LAI) on 11 January 2024 hoped to explore various potential collaborations between the Catholic Religious Guidance of the Kemenag RI and LAI. In addition to staying in touch, the Director General of Catholic Religious Affairs further wants to strengthen collaboration between his office and LAI to fulfil the need for Braille Bibles for people with visual disabilities in the Catholic Church.

The meeting also discussed the licence to print Braille Bibles, where previously according to information from the Director General of Catholic Religious Affairs, the LAI last time gave permission to the Bandung Wyata Guna Centre of the Ministry of Social Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia (Kemensos RI). Aloma Sarumaha, Director of Catholic Religious Affairs, DG Bimas Katolik, asked if the LAI could grant permission to reprint the Braille Bible.

The Indonesian Bible Institute has been serving the visually impaired by providing free Braille Bibles printed in the United States and Australia. In order to explore co-operation with the Catholic Bimas, LAI needs to ascertain the validity of the licence it has previously been granted to print Braille Bibles.

The Directorate General of Catholic Guidance, which is responsible for the Braille Bible ministry to the disabled in its neighbourhood, is committed to checking the status of the licence.

"We hope to ensure that there is evidence of mutual agreement and that LAI will provide the necessary supervision during the Braille Bible printing process. Our ultimate goal is for the disabled Catholics to also experience the presence of God's Word in their lives," said Sigit Triyono who attended the meeting.

This collaboration is expected to be a positive step in improving the accessibility of the Bible for all levels of society, including those with disabilities, in line with the spirit of inclusion and social justice.(PP)