A More Inclusive World

On Monday, 28 April, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, Pro-Prefect emeritus of the Dicastery for Evangelization, celebrated Holy Mass for the Jubilee of People with Disabilities in the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside-the-Walls. Thousands of people passed through the Holy Door, entrusting their prayers to the Lord.

In his homily, the Archbishop used terms that included “to dare”, “revolution” and “ordinary”, saying that although the three words together seem like an oxymoron, they reveal the beating heart of integration: transforming “them” into “us” without the need for rhetoric or exceptional actions.

The voices of people with disabilities and the companions on their journey express this longing within the embrace of a community in which, Archbishop Fisichella noted, “no one”, if truly welcomed, “can remain alone”.

Many people have become artisans of this dream, including Cristina Borlotti, who arrived in Rome from the Italian city of Bergamo with 500 companions.

In her role as head of her diocese’s Pastoral Office for Persons with Disabilities, she told Vatican media about her twofold commitment: not creating “special” paths but rather sowing inclusion within daily contexts; and changing the “culture”, starting with words.

“No longer ‘the disabled’, but persons with disabilities”, she said, noting that language can build bridges or raise walls.

The celebration at Saint Paul Outside-the-Walls was part of a full program of events, inaugurated on Monday morning, 28 April, with the pilgrimage to the Holy Door and the possibility of receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation at the Church of Saint John the Baptist of the Florentines.

On Tuesday, 29 April, events continued with a catechesis by Archbishop Fisichella in Saint Peter’s Square, followed by lunch and a festive gathering in the gardens of Castel Sant’Angelo.