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Pope Francis’ address to the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences
“the human experience of disability, the social factors and a culture of care and inclusion”.
Clementine Hall – Thursday, 11 April 2024
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am pleased to welcome you, the members of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, which was founded thirty years ago.
I appreciate the fact that you have chosen as the theme of this Plenary Assembly the human experience of disability, the social factors that determine it, and the need to promote a culture of care and inclusion.
The Academy of Social Sciences is called upon to address, according to a transdisciplinary model, some of the most pressing challenges of our time.
I am thinking, for example, of technology and its impact on research and on fields such as medicine and ecological transition.
I am also thinking of communications and the development of artificial intelligence (a great challenge indeed!), as well as the need to develop new economic models.
In recent years, the international community has made significant progress in recognizing the rights of people with disabilities. Many countries are moving forward in this direction.
But in others, this recognition is still partial and uncertain.
Nevertheless, where progress has been made, we have seen, through light and shadow, how individuals can thrive and the seeds of a more just and supportive society can be sown.
By listening to the voices of men and women with disabilities, we have come to understand better how their lives are conditioned not only by functional limitations but also by cultural, legal, financial and social factors that impede their activities and their participation in the life of society.
Clearly, the basis for any discussion of this issue must be the recognition of the dignity of persons with disabilities, with its multiple anthropological, philosophical and theological implications. Without this solid foundation, it can happen that, even when we uphold the principle of human dignity, we act concretely in ways that are concretely contrary to it.
The social teaching of the Church is very clear in this regard: “Persons with disabilities are fully human persons, with rights and duties” (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 148).
Every person has the right to live with dignity and to develop in an integral way: “Even if they are unproductive, or were born with or develop limitations, this does not detract from their great dignity as human persons, a dignity based not on circumstances but on the intrinsic worth of their being. If this fundamental principle is not respected, there will be no future either for fraternity or for the survival of humanity” (Fratelli Tutti, 107).
Vulnerability and frailty are part of the human condition and are not something that only applies to people with disabilities. Some of them reminded us of this in the context of the recent Synod: “Our presence can help to transform the actual situations in which we live, making them more human and more welcoming. Without vulnerability, without limits, without obstacles to overcome, there would be no true humanity” (The Church is Our Home, 2).
The Church’s care and concern for persons with one or more disabilities is a concrete expression of the many encounters Jesus had with such persons, as described in the Gospels.
In these accounts, we can find some timely points for our reflection.
First of all, Jesus enters into direct contact with people with disabilities, because disabilities, like any form of infirmity, cannot be ignored or denied.
But Jesus not only relates to disabled people; he also changes the meaning of their experience.
In fact, he showed a new approach to the condition of disabled people, both in society and before God.
In Jesus’ eyes, every human condition, including those marked by severe limitations, is an invitation to a unique relationship with God that enables people to flourish.
We can think, for example, of the Gospel account of the blind Bartimaeus (cf. Mk 10:46-52 – As he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a large crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage; get up, he is calling you.” And he threw off his cloak and sprang up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Master, give me my sight.”
And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.).
Sadly, in different parts of the world, many individuals and families continue to be isolated and marginalized because of their disabilities. Yhis not only in poorer countries, where the majority of disabled people live and where their condition often condemns them to extreme poverty, but also in more affluent situations, where disability is sometimes considered a “personal tragedy” and disabled people are treated as “hidden exiles”, as foreign bodies in society (Fratelli Tutti, 98).
The throwaway culture knows no borders.
There are those who presume to be able to determine, on the basis of utilitarian and functional criteria, when a life has value and is worth living.
Such a mentality can lead to serious violations of the rights of the weakest, to grave injustices and situations of inequality, which are largely the result of a mindset of profit, efficiency and success.
But there is also a less visible but extremely insidious factor in today’s throwaway culture that undermines the value of disabled people in the eyes of society and in their own eyes.
It is the tendency for individuals to see their lives as a burden both to themselves and to their loved ones. The spread of this mentality turns the throwaway culture into a culture of death.
In the end, “people are no longer seen as a primary value to be cared for and respected, especially when they are poor and disabled, ‘not yet useful’ – like the unborn, or ‘no longer needed’ – like the elderly” (Fratelli Tutti, 18).
This is so important: the two extremes of life: the unborn with disabilities are aborted, and the elderly close to the end are administered an “easy death”, euthanasia, a disguised euthanasia, but euthanasia nonetheless.
Combating the throwaway culture requires promoting the culture of inclusion – the two things go together – by forging and consolidating the bonds of belonging within society.
The primary agents of such solidarity are those who, out of a sense of responsibility for the good of each individual work for greater social justice and for the removal of the barriers that prevent many people from exercising their basic rights and freedoms.
The fruits of these activities are most visible in more economically developed countries, where people with disabilities generally enjoy the right to health care and social assistance, and, although not without difficulties, are included in many areas of social life, such as education, culture, the workplace and sport. In poorer countries, this is still largely an aspiration.
Governments that are committed to this must therefore be encouraged and supported by the international community.
Civil society organizations must also be supported, for without their networks of solidarity, people in many places would be left to fend for themselves..
It is necessary to develop a culture of integral inclusion.
The bonds of belonging are strengthened when people with disabilities are not simply passive recipients, but active agents of change in the life of society.
Subsidiarity and participation are the two pillars of effective inclusion.
In this regard, we can appreciate the importance of associations and movements of persons with disabilities working to promote their participation in society.
Dear friends, “Recognizing that all people are our brothers and sisters, and seeking forms of social friendship that include everyone, is not merely utopian.
It requires a determined commitment to find effective means to this end.
Every effort in this direction becomes a noble exercise of charity.
In fact, while individuals can help others in need, when they join together to initiate social processes of fraternity and justice for all, they enter into the greatest field of charity, that of political charity” (Fratelli Tutti, 180).
Brothers and sisters, I thank you because part of this commitment is your own work of research and discussion within the scientific community, as well as your efforts to raise consciousness in different social and ecclesial circles.
I am especially grateful for your concrete concern for our sisters and brothers with disabilities.
I cordially bless you and your work, and I ask you, please, to pray for me.
