Pope John Paul II,

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The Linacre QuarterlyVolume 51 | Number 4 Article 23November 1984Address to the Francois-Charon Centre for theHandicappedPope John Paul IIFollow this and additional works at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/lnqRecommended CitationPope John Paul II (1984) "Address to the Francois-Charon Centre for the Handicapped," The Linacre Quarterly: Vol. 51 : No. 4 , Article23.Available at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/lnq/vol51/iss4/23Address to the Francois-Charon Cen. ·e for the Handicapped Pope John Paul II The follow ing talk was given by the Pontiff on Sept. 10, 1984 during his visit to Canada. The Centre is located in Quebec. Dear Brothers and Sisters, I have very much wanted to meet personally with you, yo u who suffer in your bodies from . illness or accident. I would like to greet each and every one of you, as well as all those who surround yo u with affection and assistance and who help you to love life and make it blossom in you like a gift from God . I mean, of course, your parents and your friends and all the people who work in this Centre. I would also like to extend my greetings to the other handicapped men and women in Quebec and t hroughout Canada. Like Jesus of Nazareth, I want to come near you and to explore with you the spirit ual m eaning of your suffering and your hope for a full life. First of all , I express spontaneously my admirat ion , my congratula· tions and my encouragement to those who organized this Centre and 304 Linacre QuarterlY who see to it s daily operation. The name Francais-Charon is in itself ' ' quite evocative. When t his land was first being set tled, he fell prey to ilness and decided to abandon his lucrative fur business to devote his efforts and money to the underprivileged, to children, orphans, the crippled, the old and the infirm. To all, according to their needs, he provided care, education and training. Was it not his house of charity that later became the Montreal General Hospital? Today, five years after the merging of two institutions of somewhat nature, the Francais-Charon Centre wants to be in the fore-of science, technology and pedagogy in order to offer physical psycho-social rehabilitation services to an increasing number of handicapped adults in eastern Quebec. only are tools and sophisticated rehabilitation methods made to the handicapped, but also the means of acquiring as much llef>entdE~nce as possible in their own milieu, as well as occupational for re-integration into society. Teams of specialists from all ..-u.Jiules · work according to the philosophy that everyone has the to equal opportunity and to equal human dignity. It is marvelous I hope that scientists continue to invent every possible means of relieving suffering. But, dear members of the staff, despite all these tools and qualifica-ns, the handicapped could not develop without t he devotion, dedi-• tion, support and human warmth they also require and which I b ow you offer them here. I am struck by the young age of the llllployees who, inspired by an ideal of service, offer their abilities and their dynamism . I am not forgetting all the volunteers who by their 'tisits here and in the hom<:' help to provide a climate of friendship and lervi.ce. A word of encouragement must also be given to the concern this Centre has for integrating the spiritual dimension into its work of human rehabilitation. This chapel in the heart of the Centre is a sign Of this concern. It is a place where all those who want to gather before the Lord, partake of the Eucharist, meditate and sing with others, and 1 .~t the priest and those who are involved with him in pastoral activi-ties can do so. The human person constitutes a whole -body and IOul- and every perl)onal event- trial , effort or healing- has a spirit-1111 dimension. . Yes, my best wishes for the expert s£>rvice offered in this Centre and ._ other similar institutions in Quebec. Dignity of Handicapped .~~ee in all this a sign of the value that your people attach to the '"'IIHty of t he handicapped, in spite of the fascination the modern ,..orld feels for productivity , profit , efficiency, speed, and records of Ysical strength . 305 Our societies, thank God, appear to be becoming progressively nore aware of the situation of the handicapped. They have rights ·hich have often been neglected. On Dec. 9, 1975, the United N j ons Organization issued a statement on these rights which deservi our praise. In addition, the U.N. decreed 1981 the International Y ar of the Handicapped. However, all these good intentions must tak( form in every region. For this to happen, there are psychological and 1 ater· ial obstacles to overcome and progress to be made. The Church has always taken a vivid interest in this questior. Over the centuries, it fostered many undertakings involving great gen• osity in order, like Christ, to come to the aid of the handicapped. It i this because it was convinced of the unique value of every persc ~ - On March 4, 1981, the Holy See published a long document re-as· ~rting the basic principles and lines of action (L 'Osservatore R c nano, weekly French edition , March 24, 1981). I would like now to sa once ' again clearly and forcefully : the handicapped person is a hum c. J sub· ject in the full sense, with all the innate, sacred and inviolab lf~ ights which that entails. This is true whether the person be handicap ued by physical disability, whether due to birth defect, chronic disE·ase or accident, or by mental or sensory deficiency. It is true, too, no .n atter how great the person's affliction might be. We must facilitat e his or her participation in all facets of social life and at all possible le ,·els: in the family, at school, at work, in the community, in politlcs and religion. In practice, this presupposes the absolute respect of the human life of the handicapped person from his or her conception through every stage of development. We must attempt to overcome not only handicaps, but also their causes. Often, they are natural -a .deformation of the organism or a disease. Sometimes they are related to war or pollution, alcohol or drug abuse, or careless driving. There may be psychological and moral causes. A spiritual "ecology" is as important as an ecology of nature. We must help families who are in distress and .deserve our help. To this end, we must build centers like this one, where there is sensitivity to family bonds. We must provide training, suitable employment with _a just wage, promotion opportunities and security to spare the handi· capped traumatic experiences. All this requires imagination and bold· ness in order to develop various kinds of ideal initiatives. It also requires the aid of public authorities. I devoted a whole paragraph to this question in my encyclical on work (No. 22) . It is important. finally, that the handicapped person not only be loved and helped but that he or she be as aware as possible of his or her dignity and resources, of his or her ability to will, to communicate, to cooJ?eratd to love and give while continuing daily the battle to maintalD an develop his or her. potential. Unquestionably, the quality of a society or civilization is measur~ by the respect it has for its weakest members. A technically perfec 306 Linacre QuarterlY society where only fully-productive members are accepted must be considered totally unworthy of human beings, perverted as it is by a type of discrimination which is no less reprehensible than racial dis-crimination. The handicapped person is one of us and shares in our humanity. To recognize and promote his or her dignity and rights is to . recognize our own dignity and rights . · .These are the convictions of the Church (cf. aforementioned docu-ment from the Holy See) and the Church is ·delighted to see that they are shared and practiced by many governments and societies. ~ut? dear friends, when it comes to working for the handicapped, Christians can find in their faith deeper motives and a very special source of strength. · . The gospel shows us Jesus going around doing good . He welcomed all those who were suffering, whether physically or morally. He even sought them out. He proclaimed to them the good news of the love of God and of their salvation by faith. And in this salvation, He included both the body and the soul. By comforting the infirm -the crippled, the paralyzed, the blind and the deaf - He wanted to deliver them from their misery. Their healing, in answer to their faith, was the sign ofthe fuller life which He proclaimed: "Arise and walk!" Jesus Assumed Suffering He was not content simply to be near suffering and to relieve it but He took it upon himself. Voluntarily, He became the man of sorr~ws acquainted with suffering including, in the end, the suffering of th~ tortured and those condemned to death. Because He, the beloved Son of the Father, sacrificed His life, God raised Him from the dead and Christ opened for us the gates of life. He guaranteed us that life w'ould have the last word. . So the message He left us is that you, the handicapped, should seek 1Vlth Him to fight against evil, to overcome the obstacle from which Your body suffers, and to do this with the assistance of science and ·technology and with the courage of love. · This is how we become good samaritans for one another ( cf. Letter Salvifici Do/oris, Nos. 28-30), not only by stopping beside a person SUffering the wounds of 'life, but by bringing him or her efficacious help, by giving ourselves to this person with whom Christ identified balfimself : "What you have do'ne to one of My brothers or sisters, you ve done unto Me." Up to this point, dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, I have lpoken of the nobility of this tenacious fight against physical evil and ?fall the technical competency, courage, solidarity and hope which it lllvolves. This is indeed the will of God. ..__But th~ my~tery of you~ suffering is ~ee?er still and I would like to -.cend mto Its depths with you as I did m my letter of Feb. 11 this 307 .. year, on the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes: " At the heart >fall human suffering appears the inevitable question: Why? It is a qu stion about the cause, the reason ; it is also a question about purpob and, finally meaning" (No. 9) . "Almost every person enters sufferin pro· testing, quite humanly: 'Why?' ... " (No. 26). The person suJ ering addresses this question to God as Job did, and also to Christ Even though one identifies the secondary cause of the handicap even though one hopes to overcome it and manages to do so throu~ l will and rehabilitation , the subjective problem remains: "Why this 1ffer· ing? Why this restriction at this time in my life?" This mystery < ·com· panies us just as it accompanies all human trials, even human .vork. Christ gives an answer from His cross, from the depth of H1 own suffering. It is not an abstract answer. It is a call which require ; time for us to hear. . Christ gave universal redemptive value to His own sufferin ~ which appeared to be imposed on Him from without. He accepted it JUt of obedience to His Father and out of love for humanity, in order o free it from its sin the ultimate cause of suffering and death. An if we agree to, we al~o can participate in this rede.mption. This agreeJ 1ent is neither fatality nor resignation to suffering which remains :n evil against which we must continue to struggle. But God shows us ·ow to • draw good from evil by offering up our suffering with the cross of Christ. I'm sure that many of you are having or have had this exper· ience in faith. The pain remains. But the heart is serene and p ( aceful. It overcomes the feeling of the uselessness of suffering (cf. ibid., No. 27 ). It opens itself to love and helps those around to go out f them· selves, to give themselves. Such a heart bears witness to faith and hope. It believes that in the mystery of the communion of saints it has something to offer for the salvation of its brothers and sisters t hrough· 1 out the world. It enters into the redemptive mission of Christ. For this moving witness , we thank the handicapped and all those who discretely accompany them on their spiritual journey. It is imp~r­tant that the handicapped and the sick help one another in assocJa· tions, not only to make their living conditions more human and to have their rights recognized , but also to better share in this m ystery. No one can impose his or her faith, but everyone can live it and bear witness to it and bring new inspiration and dynamism into these health institutions. Blessed are those who understand the langliage of the beatitudes! Human suffering becomes for them a force wh ich can help to transform the world. . 1 Yes, with Christ you must love life : " I have come so that they maY have life and have it to the full " (Jn. 10, 11)- natural life in your body, in your rehabilitated functions, in your senses ; the life of the intellectual faculties and of your ability to love, but also, t he more mysterious, supernatural life which God gives believers at baptism, HIS divine life, a sharing in the life of the Trinity. This life is unaffected bY 308 Linacre QuarterlY physical handicaps; in fact, it is in contrast with the weaknesses of the body. This life is invisible to the eye, but it gives people their inner beauty and their hidden strenlit;h . It lasts and grows beyond this earthly life. The greatness of the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation, lies in introducing us to this life. This chapel is a chosen place for that to happen. That, dear friends, is the message the Bishop of Rome wanted to leave with you . You seem to be well looked after here and encouraged to rediscover a taste for life. I cannot help but think- and this is an intention I entrust to your prayer - of all the other handicapped people in this country and in the world- of the mentally handicapped, of the gravely ill, of those who have injuries so serious that there is no human hope for improvement, but who have the right to the same respect for life; of the handicapped who are defenseless, of children waiting to be born and of the elderly on whose behalf I would like to say: "We have the right to birth, we have the right to life!" I think of the countries which are too poor to have rehabilitation centers like this one. We all share in the suffering of our brothers and sisters. As I said at the outset of the International Year of the Handicapped (Jan. 1, 1981): " If we were to devote only a small part of the budget for the arms race to this task, we could make considerable progress and ease the fate of many suffering people. " Pontiff's Assurance Before we say good~bye -and I can assure you that the memory of this meeting will remain vivid with me - I would like to express again m.y affection and my encouragement to all the handicapped here in this Centre. I express it also to their families and to the deserving staff of this institution. Vatican II recognized that the vital center of the lay apostolate is found in works of charity like this (cf. Apostolicam OCtuositatem, Decree No. 8). I think too of the religious men and 1romen who have devoted their consecrated lives to serving the handi-Capped and of all the priests who bring them the efficacious signs of Christ's love. Peter the Apostle said. to the lame man at the beautiful gate: " I have neither silver nor gold, but in the name of Jesus Christ, rise up llld walk." This miraculous healing power belongs to Jesus Christ. TOday, Peter 's successor thanks you for your welcome and your wit-ftess ·and he hopes that his presence among you will help to strengthen ~\lr faith, that faith which enlightens, expands and uplifts your life. I Ilk Mary, our Mother, to obtain for you this gift of the Holy Spirit. And I pray to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, to fill you with his blessings. '1984 309 

Address to the Francois-Charon Centre for the Handicapped

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Address to the Francois-Charon Centre for the Handicapped

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