Pope Francis's Revolutionary Words

It was truly a striking surprise to read the message Pope Francis sent for International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3rd. A careful, luminous, and profound discourse—not only in its substance, but in the very choice of words. Taking a stand for a culture of encounter and a life "of quality," condemning discrimination and rejection, Pope Francis marked a watershed moment: he never once used words like "sick" or "illness," never spoke of "the disabled," but consistently referred only to "persons with disabilities." And because (as Luce Irigaray reminds us) the way we speak is never neutral, this choice represents a genuine historical shift in how we talk about disability. The Pope calls us to shoulder such situations of marginalization "with strength and tenderness," to walk together on a path that—while "demanding and even tiring"—is essential if we are to ensure for everyone "active participation in civic and church communities." Too many people still "feel they exist without belonging and without participating," and the "social sin" still prevails that "treats some lives as first-class and others as second-class." All of this grounded in the certainty—which Ombre e Luci has long shared and witnessed to for over 35 years—that a "person with disabilities, in order to flourish, needs not merely to exist but to belong to a community."