Catholic bishops in the Hindi-speaking areas of India have decided to revise and expand Christian literature in their local language to make it relevant to the new generation. Some 30 Hindi-speaking bishops made the decision when they met on Nov. 5 in Indore city in central India’s Madhya Pradesh State. “We have our liturgy, prayers and Bible in Hindi, but that is not enough. We need to upgrade the language of prayers and expand the literature to make it more relevant and available to more people,” said Bishop Chacko Thottumarickal of Indore.

The region, known as the Hindi Belt, is covered by 50 of India’s 174 dioceses. The scattered Christian presence in the region forms less than one percent of the population. Organized Catholic missionary work began in the region in the 19th century.