The National Congress of Honduras has launched a series of meetings with representatives of the Catholic Church and the Evangelical Church as part of efforts to promote Bible reading in the country’s schools. The initiative is being coordinated by a special legislative commission tasked with developing a national plan and an implementation manual.
Rep. Arnold Burgos, president of the commission, said the meetings are part of the project’s public consultation phase. He added that civil society organizations and parents’ associations will also be invited to review and provide input on the document currently being drafted.
According to Diario Cristiano, the proposal is part of a broader effort to develop a National Bible Reading Plan promoted by Congress to encourage values and principles among children and young people through the reading of biblical texts in public and private educational institutions.
Project organizers said the goal is to give students access to the Bible as a formative educational resource.
“The national Bible reading plan seeks to ensure that the Word of God is read in both public and private educational institutions,” Burgos said.
The initiative follows the introduction of a legislative motion in Congress that sparked debate over values education and the secular nature of Honduras’ education system. The project includes the creation of a multiparty commission responsible for designing the proposal and holding consultations with various sectors before any implementation.
During initial meetings, participants established preliminary guidelines and clarified that Bible reading would not be mandatory. Burgos said religious freedom would be respected and that parents would retain the right to decide whether their children participate.
“It will not be mandatory; parents’ decisions will be respected,” he said.
The meetings also aim to ease controversy on social media and gather input from religious leaders and other community representatives to define the scope of the plan and its methodology.
The process remains in a consultation phase as Congress determines the next steps for finalizing the plan and its possible implementation within the Honduran education system.
Lawmakers have also proposed the creation of a special commission made up of representatives from multiple political parties, the Ministry of Education and church leaders.
The working group would have 30 days to design a national plan to integrate the Bible as a teaching and learning resource, while respecting the country’s constitutional framework.
Originally published by Diario Cristiano, Christian Daily International's Spanish edition.
