«The world of disability.» That is the title of the third section in the latest volume—the sixth—of Carlo Maria Martini's complete works, published by Bompiani. It stands as confirmation of both the depth and richness of the Italian cardinal's thought and his intelligent, loving closeness to those in fragile circumstances.
«Each person depends on those nearest to him: mother, father, siblings, teachers, friends. But beyond these relationships, and underlying them all, stands the community, human society itself, bound together by countless ties,» Martini wrote in 1980, convinced that giving each person a voice required the network of community. It is not disability that isolates the individual; it is abandonment and neglect.
Martini addresses many aspects. He acknowledges the progress already made—«A new relationship between the handicapped and society is taking shape: the handicapped person is no longer the 'object' of laws, programs, interventions, and discourse, but becomes a 'subject,' a responsible interlocutor, the protagonist of his own social integration»—yet does not ignore persistent problems and gaps.
Throughout these pages, we find his critique of the Church's failure to welcome such people («Unfortunately, there continue to be unfortunate episodes of spiritual obtuseness»), when instead genuine, authentic participation in parish life, in the liturgy, and in community activities should be the norm. Martini writes of school inclusion that risks remaining merely theoretical, thus squandering a precious opportunity not only for students with disabilities but for all those in the classroom («The handicapped student learning alongside other children, far from slowing academic progress as some fear, can actually be a rich occasion for human growth and awakening to values of equality and solidarity»). He condemns the lack of training among those who work professionally with disabled people, because good intentions matter, but they are not enough («Service must be qualified at the technical and professional level and must be inwardly animated by the unmistakable character of charity»). He takes up employment, seeing work as «an authentic possibility for human growth» rather than merely as a source of income and material production. He emphasizes the need to distinguish between physical and psychological disability.
Above all, Martini grasped clearly that people with disabilities and their families want to be heard; they want concrete action, respect, and deeds. «There are painful silences and acute sufferings that raise questions and demands (…). The entire community is called to live a dual rhythm of action and reflection, of effective presence and serious planning at the cultural, social, civil, and political level. Both of these moments in the process are essential: to do and to think, to love and to reflect, to give and to plan. (…) The disabled and their families must feel our nearness not only in words of comfort, but in that daily concreteness of action and thought, of effective doing and intelligent reflection.»
Indeed, this sixth volume of Martini's complete works (publication of which began in 2015) bears a title hard to forget. Drawing Near.