#TheChurchIsOurHome: from Dec. 6, 4 videos to portray the contribution of the faithful with disabilities to the Synod on Synodality
Let me repeat: we need to have «the courage to give a voice to those who are discriminated against due to their disability, because sadly, in some countries even today, people find it hard to acknowledge them as persons of equal dignity» (Pope Francis, Fratelli Tutti, n. 98).
On the occasion of the Synod on Synodality, the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life and the General Secretariat of the Synod invited several dozen people with disabilities from five continents to a special listening session, in response to Pope Francis’ invitation in the Encyclical Fratelli Tutti: “We need to have «the courage to give a voice to those who are discriminated against due to their disability…»”. (FT, 98).
On the basis of the synod questions, “What is the Spirit asking of the Church? What paths are opening up for the Church and for the faithful with disabilities?” the participants wrote up a synthesis that was delivered to the General Secretariat of the Synod and to Pope Francis.
To describe the listening session and the meeting with the Pope, the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life is presenting 4 videos [download the video trailer] in which some of the participants offer their faces, their voices and – above all – their distinctive contribution to the Synod’s reflection.
In this regard, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, said that: “In order to be truly synodal, the Church must listen to everyone’s voice, no one excluded. I would like to thank the General Secretariat of the Synod which, from the beginning, has supported our initiative: it is thanks to this collaboration that the contribution of the faithful with disabilities will be able to reach the synod fathers.”
For his part, Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod, states: “The synodal conversion of the Church also passes through the conversion of the Roman Curia in a synodal key. The experience shared with the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life is a joyful example of this and opens up new horizons and possibilities for collaboration to show that the Church truly is a home for all!”
The Working Document for the Continental Stage of the Synod highlights some of the issues that have emerged in this process using these words: “Numerous reports point to the lack of appropriate structures and ways of accompanying persons with disabilities, and call for new ways of welcoming their contribution and promoting their participation: in spite of its own teachings, the Church is in danger of imitating the way society casts them aside. «The forms of discrimination listed – the lack of listening, the violation of the right to choose where and
with whom to live, the denial of the sacraments, the accusation of witchcraft, abuse – and others, describe the 2 culture of rejection towards persons with disabilities. They do not arise by chance, but have in common the same root: the idea that the lives of persons with disabilities are worth less than others»” (n. 36).
The trailer for #TheChurchIsOurHome is now available on the social and YouTube channels of Vatican News, the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life and the General Secretariat of the Synod. The first video will be released on December 6 at a meeting of those responsible for people with disabilities from a number of bishops’ conferences.
The videos will be published on these dates:
6 December 2022: Corresponsibility
15 December 2022: Rise up and walk!
12 January 2023: Magisterium of frailty
26 January 2023: A wonderful process
The videos were produced by Poti Pictures, the film division of Coop Soc Il Cenacolo and the world’s first social film production company that makes commercials, short and feature films with actors with intellectual disabilities. www.potipictures.com
For more information:
Pamela Fabiano
Communications Office
Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life
Tel: +39. 339.4034163
Email: [email protected]
Thierry Bonaventura
Communications Manager
General Secretariat of the Synod
Tel: +39. 351.9348474
Email: [email protected]
