Address to members of the Italian Union of Blind and partially-sighted People

Pope Francis
12 December 2022

Dear friends, good morning and welcome!

I thank the President for his introductory words, and I am grateful to all of you, who form the Italian Union of Blind and Partially-Sighted People, for coming to share the concerns and projects of this phase of your commitment.

You wanted to do so on the occasion of the liturgical feast of Saint Lucy – which is tomorrow, and tomorrow is also the anniversary of my priestly ordination: I was ordained on Saint Lucy’s day – who is the patroness of those affected by disabilities or diseases of sight. I appreciated this choice, because it expresses in a traditional religious sense that belongs to the Italian people, and which is not contrary to the fact that yours is a lay, non-denominational association.

Lucy, a martyr from Syracuse, reminds us by her example that the highest dignity of the human being consists of bearing witness to the truth, following one’s own conscience at all costs, without duality and without compromise. This means staying on the side of the light, serving the light, as her very name “Lucy”, “she of the light”, evokes. Being clear, transparent people, being sincere, communicating with others in an open, clear, respectful way. In this way one contributes to spreading light in the environments where one lives, making them more humane, more liveable.

Starting from this cue we take from the figure of Saint Lucy, I would like to confide to you how I look at you, at your association: I see you as a constructive force in society, in particular in Italian society, which is going through a difficult time. This perspective may see strange, because we usually associate with disability the idea of need, assistance and at times – thank God, less and less – a certain pietism. No, the Pope does not look at you in this way; the Church does not look at you like that. The Christian point of view on disability is no longer, and must never be pietism or mere assistentialism, but rather the awareness that fragility, assumed with responsibility and solidarity, is a resource for the social body as a whole and for the ecclesial community.

Blind and partially-sighted people, well-formed in ethical principles and in civic consciousness, are on the first line for building inclusive communities, where each person can participate without being ashamed of his or her own limits and frailties, cooperating with others to complement and support each other. And we all need each other, not only people with problems of physical frailty; we all need the help of others to go forward in life, because we are all weak at heart, all of us. Yours is an association that has just surpassed one hundred years; it is a reality that by now belongs to national history: protecting the rights of people with sight disabilities, you have cooperated in the civil growth of the country. I encourage you to go forward with an ever more constructive, proactive style, as a force that conveys confidence and hope.

Italian society needs hope, and this comes above all from the witness of people who, in their condition of fragility, do not close themselves away, do not weep over themselves, but engage together with others to improve things.

Indeed, Saint Lucy is described in precisely this way: as a young and defenceless woman who nevertheless does not give in to threats and flattery, but on the contrary responds with courage and stands up to the judge who interrogates her. With the protection and example of Lucy, go forward!

I bless you and all the members of your association from my heart. I wish a happy Christmas to you and your loved ones! And please, do not forget to pray for me. Thank you!

Address to a group of disabled people on the occasion of International Day of People with Disabilities

Pope Francis
3 december 2022

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

I am pleased to meet you today, on the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. I thank Msgr. Giuseppe Baturi for his words, and also for the efforts of churches in Italy to maintain lively attention to persons with disabilities, with active and inclusive pastoral action. Promoting the recognition of the dignity of every person is a constant responsibility of the Church; it is the mission of continuing over time the closeness of Jesus Christ to every man and woman, especially the most fragile and vulnerable. The Lord is close.

To welcome people with disabilities and to respond to their needs is a duty of the civil and ecclesial community, because “even when disabled persons are mentally impaired or when their sensory or intellectual capacity is damaged, they are fully human beings and possess the sacred and inalienable rights that belong to every human creature” (Saint John Paul II, Message to participants in the International Symposium on “The Dignity and Rights of the Mentally Disabled Person, 8 January 2004).

This was how Jesus looked upon the people he met: with a gaze of tenderness and mercy, especially towards those who were excluded from the attention of the powerful and even the religious leaders of his time. Therefore, every time the Christian community transforms indifference into proximity – this is a true conversion: transforming indifference into proximity and closeness – every time the Church does this and transforms exclusion into belonging, she fulfils her proper prophetic mission. Indeed, it is not enough to defend people’s rights; it is also necessary to work to respond to their existential needs, in their different dimensions, bodily, psychical, social and spiritual. Every man and every woman, in fact, in whatever situation they find themselves, is the bearer not only of rights that must be recognized and guaranteed, but also even deeper demands, such as the need to belong, to relate to others and to cultivate the spiritual life to the point of experiencing its fullness, and to bless the Lord for this unique and wonderful gift.

To generate and support inclusive communities – this word is important, inclusive, always – means, then, eliminating any discrimination and genuinely satisfying the need for every person to feel they are recognized and feel part. Indeed, there is no inclusion if the experience of fraternity and reciprocal communion is missing. There is no inclusion if this remains a slogan, a formula to use in politically correct speeches, a banner to be appropriated. There is no inclusion if there is a lack of conversion in the practices of coexistence and relationships.

It is a duty to guarantee persons with disabilities access to buildings and meeting places, to make languages accessible and to overcome physical barriers and prejudices. However, this is not enough. It is necessary to promote a spirituality of communion, so that every person feels part of a body, with his or her unique personality. Only in this way can every person, with their limits and gifts, feel encouraged to do their part for the good of the entire ecclesial body and for the good of the society as a whole.

I hope that all Christian communities may be places where “belonging” and “inclusion” do not remain words to be uttered on certain occasions, but become an aim of ordinary pastoral action. In such a way, we will be able to be credible when we proclaim that the Lord loves everyone, that he is salvation for all and invites everyone to the banquet of life, without exclusion.

It strikes me greatly when the Lord narrates the story of that man who had prepared a feast for his son’s wedding and the guests did not come (cf. Mt 22:1-14). He calls the servants and says: “Go to the thoroughfares, and invite to the marriage feast as many as you find”. The Lord asks for everyone: young, old, sick, healthy, small, great, sinners and without sin… everyone, everyone, everyone! This is the Lord: everyone, without exclusion. We must learn this. We are, at times, a little tempted to go along the road of exclusion. No: inclusion. The Lord has taught us this: everyone. “But this one is ugly, this one is like that…”. Everyone, everyone. Inclusion.

Dear brothers and sisters, at this time, in which we hear daily bulletins of war, your witness is a tangible sign of peace, a sign of hope for a more humane and fraternal world, for everyone. Continue on this path! I bless you from my heart and I pray for you. Thank you for what you do, thank you! And I ask you to pray for me. Thank you!

Message for International Day of Persons with Disabilities

Pope Francis
3 december 2019

On the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we renew our gaze of faith, which sees in each brother and sister the presence of Christ Himself, Who considers every gesture of love towards one of His least brothers to have been made to Himself (cf. Gospel of Matthew 25: 40). On this occasion, I would like to recall how today the promotion of the right to participation plays a central role in combating discrimination and promoting the culture of encounter and quality of life.

Great progress has been made towards people with disabilities in the medical and welfare fields, but still today we see the presence of the throwaway culture, and many of them feel that they exist without belonging and without participating. All this calls not only for the rights of people with disabilities and their families to be protected, but it also exhorts us to make the world more human by removing everything that prevents them from having full citizenship, the obstacles of prejudice, and by promoting the accessibility of places and quality of life, taking into account of all the dimensions of the human being.

It is necessary to care for and accompany persons with disabilities in every condition of life, also making use of current technologies but without regarding them as absolute; with strength and tenderness, to take on board situations of marginalization; and to make way alongside them and to “anoint” them with dignity for an active participation in the civil and ecclesial community. It is a demanding, even tiring journey, which will increasingly contribute to forming consciences capable of recognizing that each one of us is a unique and unrepeatable person.

And let us not forget the many “hidden exiles”, who live within our homes, our families, our societies (cf. Angelus, 29 December 2013; Address to the Diplomatic Corps, 12 January 2015). I think of people of every age, especially the elderly who, also due to disabilities, are at times considered a burden, a “cumbersome presence”, and risk being discarded, of being denied concrete job prospects for the construction of their future.

We are called to recognize in every person with disabilities, even with complex and grave disabilities, a unique contribution to the common good through his or her own original life story. To acknowledge the dignity of each person, well aware that this does not depend on the functionality of the five senses (cf. Discussion with the participants in the Convention of the CEI on disability, 11 June 2016). This conversion is taught by the Gospel. It is necessary to develop antibodies against a culture that considers some lives to be “League A” and others “League B”: this is a social sin! To have the courage to give a voice to those who are discriminated against for their condition of disability, since unfortunately in some countries, still today, they are not recognized as persons of equal dignity, as brothers and sisters in humanity.

Indeed, making good laws and breaking down physical barriers is important, but it is not enough, if the mentality does not change, if we do not overcome a widespread culture that continues to produce inequalities, preventing people with disabilities from actively participating in ordinary life.

In recent years inclusive processes have been put in place and implemented, but this is still not enough, as prejudices generate, in addition to physical barriers, also limits to access to education for all, to employment and to participation. A person with disabilities, in order to build himself up, needs not only to exist but also to belong to a community.

I encourage all those who work with people with disabilities to continue with this important service and commitment, which determines the degree of civilization of a nation. And I pray that each person may feel the paternal gaze of God, who affirms his full dignity and the unconditional value of his life.