[Mosaic logo composed of people's faces, with Jesus appearing at the centre.]

[Archbishop Mario Conti with smiling young man]

The church places those who are living with disability at the centre of its life and in contrast to much that happens in society. Nowhere is this more evident than in Lourdes, from which I have just come back recently. And it struck me how, those who are on the periphery of things back home, are in the very centre of things there at Lourdes, and it is the sick, who are the chief members, chief actors in the life that we see at Lourdes in the processions, in the liturgies and so on. And concern for them is so manifest there.

And this seems to me to be the way in which we should look at those with disabilities, not pushing them to the margins, not making patronising arrangements for them, but making them feel at home within the community, within the church, within the society in which we live. We're very consciously doing that at the moment in terms of the alterations that we're making to our churches, in line with recent legislation. And so it is that we have loop systems for those who are hard of hearing, we have access ramps for those who are need wheelchairs, we have spaces dedicated within the churches to those who need to have their wheelchairs in a position where they can see what is going on and be involved.

Closer to home for me is the archdiocese of Glasgow. And what we do here is perhaps typical of what many will be doing in different dioceses throughout the Catholic church. In my predecessor's time, there was a developed department of the Couriel offices specialising in the care of those with specific needs, some of which were being addressed, perhaps all of which were being addressed in society, but this was a practical way in which the church was showing her concern and her love for those in need.

In my own time, that has developed into an institution called the Mungo Foundation, which is, in a sense, legally independent of the church, but nonetheless is owned by the church. It currently operates thirty-eight residential care and support projects, assisting people with a range of different needs, including those with learning disabilities, sensory impairment, demention and mental health problems, as well as the homeless, older people and young single mothers. Nor are we forgetful of specific spiritual needs of such people.There is for example SPREAD - special religious educational needs groups - which provide for those with learning disabilities.

We have an example at Lourdes of people being at the centre of things, those people with disabilities, with special needs, who need support, who need care, whether the sick or young people - a whole range. I think that is very important, and we need to ensure that within our communities at home and elsewhere, there is the sense given to such people that they are not on the periphery, not on the edge, but within the community, the heart of that community. And it has always been the church's desire to ensure that the value placed upon people is not something concerned about their physical integrity but is to do with their dignity as the children of God, as members of the human family.

[www.dayforlife.org]

[End]

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