The first edition comprises 15,000 copies, 5,000 of which are to be distributed in Turkey, while the remaining 10,000 are destined for native Turkish speakers scattered throughout Western Europe.
According to Dominican Father Lorenzo Piretto, an Istanbul-based priest from Italy, «There are about 100,000 Christians» among the country’s population of about 68 million.
The majority of Christians in the western Asian country «are Apostolic Armenians. The Catholics are Latins, Chaldeans, Armenians and Syrians. There are also Greek and Syrian Orthodox, as well as various Protestant groups,» Father Piretto stated in a letter.
«The Catechists are very content to have excerpts from the Bible in Turkish,» he added. «At the entrance of churches, where the books are displayed, Muslims are free to take» a copy.
