We publish below the text of the Holy Father’s Video with the prayer intention for the month of December diffused through the Pope’s World Prayer Network on the theme “For people with disabilities”: Let us pray that people with disabilities be at the centre of society’s attention and that institutions promote programmes of inclusion that enhance their active participation:

Text of the Holy Father’s Video

Among the most fragile in our midst are people with disabilities.

Some of them experience rejection, based on ignorance or based on prejudice, which turns them into outcasts.

Civil institutions must support them through access to education, employment and areas where creativity is expressed.

There is a need for programmes, for initiatives, that foster inclusion.

Above all, there is a need for big hearts that are willing to accompany.

It is a matter of changing our mentality a little to open ourselves up to the contributions and talents of these people with different abilities, both in society and in the life of the Church.

And so, creating a fully accessible parish is not only about removing physical barriers but also understanding that we need to stop talking about ‘them’ and start talking about ‘us’.

Let us pray that people with disabilities will be at the centre of society’s attention and that institutions will promote inclusion programmes that value their active participation.