Disability can be viewed as limiting, worrying and off-putting but, through the efforts of many Maltese, it is being “transfigured” into a hymn of love and charity, according to Archbishop Elect Charles Scicluna.
Speaking at his first pastoral visit as the new head of the Maltese Church, to Id-Dar tal-Providenza in Siġġiewi, Mgr Scicluna said the Church would be reaching out to disabled people through its presence, care and special skills for listening.
“Disability can be viewed as a limit, as something which cannot have its own beauty, as something which is off-putting and worrying.
“But thanks to the inspiration of founder Dun Mikiel Azzopardi and the generosity of generations of Maltese, disability has been transfigured and changed.”
Referring to an excerpt from the Gospel according to St Mark, which focuses on Jesus’s transfiguration on Mount Tabor, he quoted a line describing how Jesus’s garments became extremely white, “such as no launderer on earth could whiten them”.
Mgr Scicluna said that no launderer on earth could remove disability. But at Id-Dar tal-Providenza, disability was not hidden or veiled but transformed into a testimony to human dignity through charity, help, love and patience.
The transfiguration of such difficult situations occurred because human dignity did not rest upon a person’s intelligence or his ability to use all his senses. A person’s limitations did not deprive him of his dignity. “Human dignity is not brought about by any launderer but is a gift from God.”
Mgr Scicluna spoke about his fondness for the residence by describing it as a cherished place where the mystery of transfiguration occurred every day.
“Let us pray for all those who enter and see the Golgota so they do not forget the glory of the Tabor.”
Welcoming Mgr Scicluna, the home’s director Fr Martin Micallef called on him to listen more closely to the voices of people with a disability, reminding him of the slogan: “Nothing about us without us.”
“People with a disability must feel part of the Church and of Maltese society,” Fr Micallef said.
“Every person is precious and unique and the Church must include everyone.”
Mgr Scicluna said he was very much struck by the slogan, adding that it should not only apply to disabled people but to all categories of society. “Dialogue means that those who are participating feel like a protagonist,” he told Times of Malta.
“I think that we must move towards a church where everyone feels they are a protagonist; in the sense that everyone, according to his or her role, not only feels an active part of the Church but also carries the responsibility of his role.”
Asked how he will be reaching out to disabled people, Mgr Scicluna replied that it was through being present, through care and special skills for listening.
The Church will be reaching out to other people by being present for them wherever they are.
Mgr Scicluna was greeted warmly by the staff and residents of Id-Dar tal-Providenza, who broke into applause upon his entrance. He met some of the 106 residents, enveloping them in warm embraces.