The Karnataka-Goa Province of the Discalced Carmelites and the Diocesan Centre for Biblical Apostolate of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman hosted a three-day Bible symposium on the role of scripture in the digital and artificial intelligence era.
The event, held last week at the Divine Springs Retreat Centre in Xellim, Loliem, carried the theme “Biblical Text in Its Context in the Digital and AI Age.”
It was organized to mark the Jubilee Year 2025 and the centenary of the canonization of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus.
Auxiliary Bishop Simião Fernandes of Goa and Daman, chairman of the Western Region CCBI Bible Commission, inaugurated the symposium.
“Bible is a light for our path. We need to fall in love with the Bible and make use of it in our daily life,” he told participants. He urged them to make scripture “a bread for their daily use.”
The symposium aimed to train priests to preach with greater depth, equip participants with digital research tools, and reintroduce the insights of the Church Fathers into contemporary teaching.
Sessions covered the Hebrew Bible, the Gospels, typological and allegorical interpretation, and the Acts of the Apostles.
Workshops offered training on AI applications such as BibleGPT and Biblia Savant, and software including Libronix, Verbum, and Accordance. Free installation and training on Libronix and BibleWorks were provided.
Speakers included Carmelite scholars from India and Rome, diocesan leaders from Goa and Mangalore, and biblical experts from Bengaluru, Jerusalem, and Trivandrum.
The symposium closed with a Eucharistic celebration led by Fr. Silvestre D’Souza, provincial superior of the Carmelites’ Karnataka-Goa Province.
Preaching on St. John the Baptist, he said the prophet “fearlessly proclaimed repentance and prepared the way for the Messiah.” John’s humility, he added, was seen in his willingness “to decrease so that Christ might increase.”
“Christian witness must be lived both in words and in silence, through the integrity of one’s life,” he said.
Fr. Rovel D’Souza, superior of the Divine Springs Retreat Centre, welcomed participants on the first day and later thanked contributors at the closing.
