Pray with the Pope: People with disabilities at the centre

Every month Fr Chris Chatteris SJ reflects on Pope Francis’ prayer intention

Intention: We pray that people living with disabilities may be at the centre of attention in society, and that institutions may offer inclusive programmes which value their active participation.

People with disabilities are indeed often at the centre of attention — but in an undesirable sense, namely when they have to endure stares in public places.

Acknowledging people with physical or mental disabilities without displaying insensitivity or condescension is a gentle, discerning art. It requires the experience of actually meeting, interacting naturally, and getting to know those whom society often finds it awkward to encounter.

At an airport recently, I saw a family queuing in the check-in queue. They had their young son with Down’s syndrome with them, a lively and slightly mischievous youngster who drew a certain amount of attention to himself. However, he was so obviously loved and cherished by his parents that I had the strong impression that the people in the queue were put at ease.

In my lifetime, society has changed greatly for the better in regard to people with disabilities. Facilities for access to public buildings are standard today. Whereas in the past, ramps and adapted toilets were something one noticed, today it’s their absence which is noticed.

The Camino call

And there are frequent calls to improve such facilities. For example, there is a call to make the accommodation and other amenities for pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago Compostela more in keeping with this spirit of inclusivity towards people with disabilities. It might be surprising to hear that people with disabilities undertake the Camino at all, but they do — and if one thinks about it, it makes a lot of sense.

The Camino is clearly a journey which attracts many people who are aware of the fact that they are walking wounded, whether this is obvious or not.

What is particularly striking about this month’s intention is that it doesn’t ask us just to tolerate and respect people with disabilities, but to go much further and place them right in the centre of our loving gaze, and to change our institutions so comprehensively that they can make their unique contribution to our world.

A place in the Catholic world where this can be witnessed in action is at Lourdes in France, where the thousands of seriously ill pilgrims who visit the shrine every year are truly at the centre of things.

They have priority in the Masses, processions and other liturgical events. All the facilities in and around the grotto and in the town are accessible to those in wheelchairs and people who are not fully mobile. Many volunteers are at hand to assist them and ensure their ease of access.

Everything points to the fact that the sick and those suffering from disabilities are considered not just as being of equal value to the healthy, but in fact are special in the sight of God and in the lives of their brothers and sisters.

This is how we bring about the realisation of the Kingdom of God.