Three months have passed since the jubilee days dedicated to the sick and people with disabilities. The echo of the Holy Father's words and his concrete gestures continue to reach us through the voices of the many parish newsletters we receive, all testifying to how meaningful that day was. This is why we return to speak with Archbishop Fisichella, who, through the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization, oversaw the organization of the Holy Year of Mercy.
How do you assess this Jubilee of Mercy, and particularly the events of June 12th?
Over 17 million pilgrims have come to Rome to celebrate the Jubilee of Mercy, from every corner of the world. Such a number cannot leave us unmoved. Yet an event like a Holy Year should not be measured by statistics alone, much as some might wish it. In my view, the Jubilee succeeds or fails based on a single criterion: whether it has placed at the heart of the Church's life the very theme Pope Francis chose to celebrate—mercy. And indeed, from the countless testimonies reaching us from around the world, we can see how many initiatives have truly worked to show, and especially to help people experience, God's merciful love. The Jubilee on the 12th was a beautiful moment to place at the center God's mercy as it was revealed in the faces and smiles of so many sick and disabled people who participated.
Is there an episode or encounter that has stayed with you?
I carry many moments from the Jubilee of the Sick and People with Disabilities close to my heart. The Holy Father's Mass moved me deeply. For the first time, the Gospel was acted out by members of Faith and Light, and among those serving in the liturgy were six altar servers with disabilities. Scripture readings were proclaimed by a blind man and signed in sign language. And we must not forget the presence among the concelebrants of Father Cyril Axelrod, a Redemptorist priest who is deaf-blind. Through these gestures, which some might call marginal, the Holy Father sent a powerful message: that the liturgy truly welcomes and includes everyone, especially people with disabilities.
In organizing these days, the Pontifical Council worked alongside organizations of different inspirations and charisms. What impressions did you take from that collaboration?
In organizing each major Jubilee event, the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization collaborated with various groups engaged in the Church's pastoral work. During the Jubilee of the Sick and People with Disabilities, we had the chance to work with and learn from many organizations in this field. What struck me first was the discovery of an entire world—made up of countless people, often unknown—who work tirelessly every day to help the sick and people with disabilities feel truly part of the Church. And working alongside them, I witnessed the enthusiasm and joy with which people with disabilities express their faith and how deeply they wish to pray and feel the Lord's presence. I also discovered a vast network of volunteers to whom we owe special gratitude.
For many, the Jubilee for people with disabilities began with the Holy Father's visit to the community Il Chicco. What reflections do you draw from those moments shared in the simplicity of daily life?
The Holy Father's unexpected visit to the L'Arca community "Il Chicco" was a moving moment of the "Fridays of Mercy." Once a month, Pope Francis made it his practice to perform a work of mercy by making an unannounced visit to a significant community. The residents of Il Chicco welcomed the Holy Father as a friend and shared with him a moment of prayer and fellowship. What remains most vivid in my mind is the climate of great simplicity and affection that surrounded his visit. I can testify that Pope Francis left that encounter deeply moved and truly joyful.
In a society obsessed with efficiency and cosmetics that mask imperfection, how can we help associations and movements that welcome the most vulnerable avoid becoming isolated oases, separated from the rest of society and often from the Church itself?
These organizations—including Faith and Light—pose a real challenge to a society like ours that tries to eliminate whatever is not "perfect" and that is steeped in what Pope Francis rightly calls a "throwaway culture." Jean Vanier's teaching and powerful witness bring out concretely the beauty of the Gospel and the richness of mercy. I believe that the civilization of a society—and its true greatness—is measured by how it welcomes and supports the weakest among us. As the saying goes: a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Our society often fails at this, and regrettably, we in the Church, too often caught up in so many tasks, struggle to make space for the "little ones." Let these organizations be a powerful call to each of us so that all, especially the most vulnerable, truly stand at the center of our pastoral mission.
What prospects do you see as this Holy Year comes to an end?
Charting a course after a Holy Year is always difficult. But I believe each of us can commit ourselves, in our hearts, to transform our lives so that the mercy we have experienced this year becomes our very way of living. We might return to the works of corporal and spiritual mercy that Pope Francis set before us at the beginning of the Jubilee, and practice them every day, so that we might bring about, as the Holy Father has always told us, a true "cultural revolution": the revolution of mercy.
Interview by Cristina Tersigni and Angela Grassi, 2016