To the VII International Conference

of the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers

THE DISABLED HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE ACCEPTED INTO SOCIETY

AND TO ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR OWN LIVES

21 December 1992

1.I am pleased to be able to address my greetings this year as well to participants in the International Conference organized and prepared by the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers, whose theme is "Your Members Are the Body of Christ. Disabled Persons in Society."

This annual appointment for reflection and study, while arousing growing interest in the different sectors of society, increasingly aims to be an occasion bringing together for a fruitful exchange of experiences those involved in the search of adequate means to solve the most serious problems afflicting a great part of the human race.

With gratitude I greet the distinguished guests called here from different nations - scientists, researchers, physicians, sociologists, theologians, scholars, and health professionals - who offer the contribution of their investigation and their experiences, brought to maturity over years of diligent, responsible dedication.

I particularly greet Cardinal Fiorenzo Angelini, the active President of the Pontifical Council, and his coworkers, along with those who in varied capacities have contributed to the success of this important international congress.

2.The problem of the disabled is common to all countries. There are, indeed, about five hundred million physically and psychically handicapped people, but many of these, unfortunately, still do not benefit from the necessary services. Risk factors and serious obstacles to readaptation are especially observed in the developing countries, where, according to some authoritative data, 85% of the disabled live and where a high percentage of handicaps - blindness, for example - is caused by endemic diseases and subhuman health conditions. Frequent conflicts and natural calamities have multiplied their number. I am particularly thinking of children, women, and the elderly, as well as the serious conditions in which considerable groups of disabled fugitives and refugees live. In industrialized countries, too, the number of handicaps, fostered by the spread of models of development which deny or disregard the dignity of the human person, is elevated and in some regions even on the increase. Let it suffice to recall the consequences of accidents on the road and in unprotected work and of the abandonment and neglect of minors.

In addition, many of the handicapped - fragile and often disturbed by awareness of their disability - feel ignored in their difficulties and are in fact spurred to lead a marginalized life. Public opinion, while devoting space and attention to subjects, fashions, and customs which are something ephemeral, does not show all the interest due such a serious problem.

Praiseworthy initiatives are not lacking, however, which aim to make society more sensitive to these problems and support the handicapped in overcoming their condition of marginalization, and incorporating themselves fully into the community. The legislation of many nations has made notable strides in this regard, promoting a culture of receptiveness through diligent, bold choices and fostering the progressive social integration of these persons.

3.In your lessons and reflection, in the exchange of experiences and opinions during these days, you have also studied the subject of the disabled, examining its anthropological, clinical, moral, technical, social, juridical, and religious aspects. You have pointed out that, in the context of a rediscovered social and health care awareness, it is possible, with the help of science and technology, to provide better social and medical assistance, satisfying the varied needs and exigencies of the disabled and often preventing as well the very rise of physical or psychic handicaps.

If in this field much has been done, though in the midst of difficulties and obstacles, much still remains to be done so that the cultural, social, and architectural barriers keeping the disabled from satisfying their legitimate aspiration will be definitively overcome. It is necessary to act in such a way that they can feel welcomed into the civil community by full right, being accorded the effective opportunity to play an active role in the family, society, and the Church. Discretionary assistance, then, entrusted to the generosity of some, is not enough; it is necessary for there to be responsible involvement at different levels by all the members of the community.

4.Every human person - as international legislation clearly recognizes - is the subject of fundamental rights which are inalienable, inviolable, and indivisible. Every person - therefore, the disabled as well. On account of their handicap, however, they may encounter special difficulties in the concrete exercise of such rights. They thus need not to be left alone. No one better than a Christian is able to grasp the duty of this altruistic action. The Christian is, in fact, reminded by Saint Paul, speaking of the Church, the mystical body of Christ, that "if one member suffers, all the members suffer with him" (1 Co 12:26). This revelation sheds heavenly light upon human society as well and leads to understand that within structures solidarity must be the true criterion regulating relations among individuals and groups. Man, every human being, is always worthy of maximum respect and has the right to express his or her dignity as a person fully. In this perspective, the family, the State, and the Church - each in the sphere of its own nature and tasks - are called in their different articulations to rediscover the greatness of man and the value of suffering, "present in the world to realize love …, to transform all of human civilization into the civilization of love" (Salvifici Doloris, 30).

The family, the State, and the Church - the structures supporting human life in community - are asked to make a special contribution so that the culture of solidarity will develop and the handicapped may take on a leading role in their own lives.

The family, above all, which is the sanctuary of love and understanding, is called to share the condition of the weakest more than anyone else, to rediscover its decisive role in the training of the disabled, with a view towards their physical and spiritual recovery and their effective integration into society, which constitutes the natural place for their maturation and harmonious growth towards the personal and emotional balance that is indispensable to establish adequate contacts and relations with others.

Furthermore, an equally important task is the responsibility of the State, whose level of civilization is measured by the standard of the respect with which it is able to surround the weakest among the members of society. This respect must be expressed in working out and offering strategies for prevention and rehabilitation, in seeking and implementing all possible pathways to recovery and human growth, in promoting integration into the community with full respect for the dignity of the person, fostering in the disabled - as I have previously recalled - "participation in the life of society in all its dimensions and at all the levels accessible to their capacities: family, school, work, and the social, political, and religious community" (Insegnamenti di Giovanni Paolo II, vol. VII-2, 1984, p. 398).

The Church also has the duty and right to intervene in this delicate area; guided by the example and teaching of her Lord, she has never ceased to do her utmost to serve the weakest. Let it suffice to point to the numerous and meritorious religious institutions of men and women, in addition to the associations of lay faithful which have arisen over the centuries with the specific charism of the care of the handicapped. This attention to the needy must increasingly involve the whole Church community, so that everyone - and particularly the person in difficulty - may attain full integration into the life of the family of believers. To the disabled I reiterate here the message formulated by the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in 1987: "We are counting on you to teach the whole world what love is" ("Messaggio al Popolo di Dio", no. 13, in L'Osservatore Romano, Oct. 30 1987, p. 4).

5.In addition, deserving of appreciation and gratitude are the efforts made by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other United Nations bodies and the action carried out for many years now in this field for research into the causes of disabilities, information and meetings for study, interregional consultations, the coordination and development of services, the promotion of readaptation, and the education and professional training of health, educational, and social service personnel.

Heartfelt approval should also be conveyed to the United Nations for having proclaimed, on October 14, an international day for disabled persons, establishing that it will be held each year on December 3. A provident initiative, opportunely taking its place alongside the World Day of the Sick, which the Catholic Church, starting next February 11, will hold annually on the day dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes. Its purpose is to prompt in believers and all sensitive people a more intimate sharing in the suffering of every human being, regardless of race, culture, or religion, stimulating public opinion as far as possible towards greater attention to suffering man with a view towards more effective service to life.

Furthermore, how can we fail to recall the contribution made to this cause by non-governmental and professional organizations, and the wonderful contribution offered by volunteers, with a presence which has in many instances revealed itself to be decisive in solving even complex human problems? I would therefore like to give credit to the numerous volunteers who, in a praiseworthy spirit of service, gratuitously offer their resources, their time, and their availability to meet the needs of the disabled. I encourage them from my heart to continue in their action, which is at once an eloquent witness to faith and a singular experience of a direct encounter with Christ, present in the person tried by illness (cf. Mt 25:40).

6.Nor would I like to leave out the task of science and medicine, called to join their efforts to improve the physical conditions of the disabled and increase in them the hope of recovery and of active incorporation into society. Scientists, physicians, nurses, and technicians are called to do everything possible to humanize therapeutic assistance, well knowing that, in the handicapped, physical limitation and psychic difficulty require converging, responsible commitment on the part of all.

7.The words accompanying the topic of this International Conference - "Your Members are the Body of Christ" - are not a rhetorical expression, but a specific revealed truth (cf. 1 Co 6:15) from which a clear program for life is deduced. Handicaps, all forms of handicaps, never undermine the dignity of the person or his right to the best quality of life, as demonstrated by, among other things, the results obtained in sport activities themselves - in rightly opening themselves to the disabled, they have given them reasons for legitimate and exemplary pride and have thus become a celebration of authentic values of physical and spiritual recovery. The recent Olympic Games in Barcelona provided new and splendid proof of this.

"You are the members of the Body of Christ": the Body of the Risen One! This is the true foundation for indestructible dignity! A dignity withstanding even the setback of death. It is, in fact, said, "This corruptible body of ours will be robed in incorruptibility; this mortal body of ours will be robed in immortality" (cf. 1 Co 15:52).

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, in the luminous perspective which the word of God opens before the eyes of faith, I address to each one of you a warm invitation to persevere in dedication to the noble cause of the advancement of the disabled. May Our Blessed Lady, Star of our earthly pilgrimage, accompany you and arouse in the hearts of all men sentiments of fraternal sharing, so that from the meeting between suffering and love there will issue forth and affirm itself in the world the value of solidarity, inextinguishable source of justice and charity.

May God make the orientations and purposes brought to maturity over the course of these days fruitful with his grace, and upon all of you present here, along with those who have taken part in the session of your Assembly, may the Apostolic Blessing descend, a promise of renewed commitment in the service of the Gospel of hope.