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Rome, Italy, Jun 20, 2016 / 12:13 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- A Vatican conference dedicated to the up-and-coming 'theology of disability' aims not only to end common stigma surrounding persons with disabilities, but to show that their lives are a gift and to help integrate them more fully into the life of the Church and of society.

“The disabled person’s life has never been more in danger as it is now, before life and after,” Cristina Gangemi told CNA in an interview.

Co-director of The Kairos Forum and an expert in  intellectual and cognitive disability with a particular focus on spirituality, Gangemi and her organization are partnering with the Pontifical Council for Culture in putting on the “Living Fully 2016” conference later this week.

Society, she said, “is seeking to develop the perfect human person,” and in doing so renders the life of the disabled “mechanistic.”

Rather, “the disabled person calls you back to love, because they say: ‘I look differently, I think differently, I’m a creative learner, I do things in a way that’s not typical, but do you love me?’ And it calls society to answer to the question: ‘Do you love that human person?’”

More importantly, persons with disabilities pose the same questions to the Church, she said, adding that the Church’s response must reflect Pope Francis’ call to love and mercy.

Gangemi said this reflection doesn’t come from feeling sorry for disabled persons, “but that we feel sorry for the way we’ve treated them. We’ve created a community of ‘them and us,’ and we must remove that and get back to a community of ‘us,’ because within the body of Christ there is only us.”

The Living Fully conference in Rome is being held June 23-26, beginning with a symposium on “Exploring Disability, Theology, Practice and Culture.” That will be followed by a three-day conference titled “Disability, Culture, Family and Faith – a Celebration,” hosted by LUMSA University.

Topics that will be covered include how to see the disabled with God's eyes' the Church's attitude and practice in welcoming disabled persons; the gift of our bodies as they are in light of St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, and how to end and the problems of isolation and loneliness often experienced by persons with disabilities.

Personal stories from people with one or more disabled family members will also be given throughout the conference.

Gangemi explained that the 'theology of disability' is “a new, emerging discipline” and is born from the experience of both disabled persons and their families, as well as the desire to explore their place and value in the Christian community.

The pioneer behind disability theology is John Vanier, a Catholic philosopher, theologian, and humanitarian from Canada.

In 1964 Vanier founded L’Arche foundation, which has grown to become an international federation of communities for people with developmental disabilities, and is present in 35 countries around the world.

According to Gangemi, the essence of disability theology can be defined as “a way of exploring the Christian Gospel and the very essence of God through the life experiences and expressions of people who’ve been disabled.”

While Vanier is Catholic, the story of L’Arche and the study of disability theology have been taken up especially by members of the Anglican Communion, Gangemi said, explaining that because of this the conference will also feature ecumenical speakers.

As someone who has been working in the field for more than 20 years, Gangemi said that while Catholic theologians are taking an increasing interest in disability theology, “it’s a missing bit of what we do as a Church.”

“Disability isn’t a special occasion, it’s an everyday occurrence, it’s part of who we are as Church,” she said, voicing her hope that the fact that LUMSA University is hosting the conference will help to ensure that disability theology “is part and parcel of what universities and Catholic studies have in the future.”

One concrete sign of the Church’s increasing interest in persons with disabilities is the recent Jubilee of the Disabled, held June 10-12 as part of Pope Francis’ wider Jubilee of Mercy. During the jubilee, Pope Francis said discriminating against the disabled is “ugly,” and insisted such persons ought to be loved, rather than hidden from society.

Gangemi said that in her opinion, while the topic of disability theology has always been needed in the Church, the need is more dire today due to the “urgent drive to obtain the perfect human.”

“The disabled person still lives in a very paradoxical place,” she said, noting how currently in the UK, the only factor allowing parents to get a full-term abortion at 40 weeks gestation is for reasons of fetal disability.

“Even the day that you’re born, (right) before you’re born if you’re known to have a disability and it’s decided that you shouldn’t exist, you can be aborted.”

The paradox, she said, is that if the disabled child survives pregnancy and is born, they are then protected by legislation which deems them “an equal and valued human being” and provides for their needs.

With the Church “it’s the other way around,” she said. “Because of our stance on life as gift and our protection of the unborn child, the disabled person’s life is totally respected and valued.” But once the disabled child is born and baptized, “there’s almost nothing for them to do.”

“So the theology of disability doesn’t say it’s about belonging, it says ‘what are you going to do in your parish, and how are they going to belong?’”

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Ontario, Canada, Jun 20, 2016 / 03:52 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Canada’s controversial assisted suicide measure had barely passed Parliament when national leaders discussed the possibility of expanding it to allow doctor-assisted death for minors and the mentally ill.

In February 2015, the Canadian Supreme Court had ruled that doctors may help patients who have severe and incurable suffering to kill themselves. It ordered Parliament to create a legislative response.

That response came in the form of a bill passed in the Canadian Senate by a vote of 44-28 June 17. Its scope is somewhat narrower than the court mandate in that it allows assisted suicide only for those facing imminent death, Reuters reports.

Health Minister Jane Philpott and Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould in a joint statement said the legislation was balanced. They said there will be further study of medical assistance in dying for “mature minors” and those for whom mental illness is the only underlying condition.

Previously, Canadian law punished those who counseled, aided, or abetted a suicide with up to 14 years in prison.

The law had met with strong opposition from disability-rights groups who say that it unfairly targets those who are most vulnerable in society and has high potential for abuse.

Opponents also argued that the law would send a social message that suicide is an acceptable way to handle pain and suffering. Other nations that have legalized the practice have found numerous cases of abuse, with lethal medication falling into the wrong hands and doctors or family members exerting undue pressure on patients to kill themselves.

In addition, concerns surfaced over conscience rights and whether doctors would be forced to aid in killing patients against their beliefs.

During debate over the law, Canadian senators had attempted to expand the scope of those qualified for doctor-assisted death to include those who are not necessarily near death, but have a “grievous and irremediable medical condition.” However, the House of Commons rejected it and the Senate rejected it by a vote of 42-28, CBC News reports.

In their statement, Philpott and Wilson-Raybould’s said the legislation “strikes the right balance between personal autonomy for those seeking access to medically assisted dying and protecting the vulnerable.”

In April, Cardinal Thomas Collins of Toronto said the introduction of assisted suicide legislation was “a sad day for Canada.”

“The fundamental move towards implementing euthanasia or assisted suicide is itself troubling,” he told CNA.

The cardinal said Catholics should strongly encourage palliative care for those in severe pain and for the terminally ill. This – not suicide – is true medical assistance, he maintained.

Religious opponents of the legislation included Evangelical Protestants, Jews, Muslims and the Salvation Army.

Other opponents included the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, the Quebec grassroots organizations Living with Dignity, the Physicians’ Alliance Against Euthanasia, and members of the disability rights group Not Dead Yet.

In October 2015, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a joint declaration against euthanasia and assisted suicide with the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.

 

Photo credit: isak55 via www.shutterstock.com.

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Washington D.C., Jun 20, 2016 / 04:50 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- As the global refugee crisis is at its worst since World War II, Catholics cannot be indifferent to the plight of their brothers and sisters, an official with Catholic Relief Services asserts.

“As Catholics, we believe that we are part of one human family, and when 21 million people are refugees around the world, that is something that impacts us personally,” Bill O’Keefe, vice president for government relations and advocacy for Catholic Relief Services, told CNA June 20 – World Refugee Day.

A United Nations report released Monday showed global displacement numbers at their highest ever recorded, jumping from 59.5 million for 2014 to 65.3 million in 2015. Over 21 million of the displaced are refugees.

“Half of the 60 million people displaced globally today are children,” Catholic Relief Services stated on Monday. The average refugee spends 17 years in a refugee camp, according to the UN, which means that tens of millions of children could grow up homeless and without proper education, creating a “lost generation,” CRS noted.

What is life like for refugees during this time? Some are in refugee camps and have registered with the UN, O’Keefe noted, but many are living in temporary housing.

“There’s this kind of temporary character to it,” O’Keefe said. “It’s a period of limbo, waiting for something to happen beyond your control where you’re really not able to do a lot to advance your own station in life.”

Many of them can’t legally work. This means the breadwinners are either unemployed or paid under-the-table and thus vulnerable to abuse. In Lebanon, for example, the government can deport unregistered refugees without identification papers, or registered refugees who work. Employers threaten to turn refugees in to the government if they complain about their treatment.

Other problems refugees face include lack of proper housing and access to education, and second-class citizen status.

For World Refugee Day, the chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration and Refugee Services – Bishop Eusebio Elizondo, auxiliary bishop of Seattle – called attention to not only the refugee crises in the news, but the less noticed crisis areas as well.

While noting that the situations in the Middle East and Central America are both “critical situations,” he added that “it is crucial that we not forget the millions of other refugees and displaced persons all around the world who have been forced from their homes and been placed in precarious situations.”

There are many refugee crises that are not being talked about, O’Keefe told CNA.

For instance, a conflict in Colombia between the government and revolutionary forces has resulted in a quarter-million people fleeing to Ecuador, he said, currently at a rate of 1,000 per month. Millions are already displaced inside Colombia. The whole situation is considered the largest refugee crisis in the Western Hemisphere.

Kenya is home to the “largest refugee camp in the world” in Dadaab, he continued, where 350,000 reside. Most of them are from Somalia. The Kenyan government has threatened to close the camp and return the refugees home, but it is against international law to forcibly “repatriate” a refugee.

There are thousands of Syrian refugees living in Egypt, which already has “economic challenges,” he said, and in Greece where they “are unable to move further north.”

Refugees have fled serious political unrest in Burundi to nearby Rwanda and Tanzania, and many Afghan refugees – overall, 2.7 million, the UN has reported – have made their way to Bulgaria because of conflict in their own country.

Faced with an overwhelming global refugee crisis, what more could Americans do in response?

Catholics should “reflect on that need for solidarity” with refugees, O’Keefe maintained, citing Pope Francis’ lament against the “globalization of indifference.” CRS has created a brief video showing the plight of refugees.

The U.S. must also “negotiate an end to the war in Syria,” O’Keefe insisted, where the conflict has created the world’s largest refugee situation. “We cannot re-settle our way out of this, we cannot assist our way out of this.”

The U.S. could also “provide the maximum amount of humanitarian assistance possible” to refugee situations, he said, noting that the appeal for the Syrian crisis is funded less than 30 percent. Americans could also “responsibly take in” more refugees, “particularly the most vulnerable.”

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IMAGE: CNS/Nancy Wiechec

By Nancy Wiechec

PHOENIX (CNS) -- As triple-digit temperatures hit the desert Southwest, charities are working overtime to keep homeless and vulnerable people safe.

"This is our winter," said Shannon Clancy, chief philanthropy officer for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Phoenix. "Out West when the heat turns up, the need actually increases."

So far in June, the Catholic society has opened its dining centers for heat relief and emergency overnight shelter. The homeless and those without proper home cooling can rest and get water and snacks.

Charone and Lisa Williams took cover in the society's expansive downtown dining room June 4. An excessive heat warning was issued and the temperature rose to a record 115 degrees that day.

Charone takes medication that can make him nauseated and dizzy if he's out in the sun.

"We're lucky to find a place like this," he said.

The couple has been homeless since March, bouncing between a friend's home and shelters. They have a Section 8 housing voucher but can't find an available apartment. They said they felt "stuck" and weren't sure what they would do next.

That day, in the kitchen's walk-in cooler, dining room coordinator Theresa Jones was stacking heavy cases of bottled water.

"As long as (water) keeps coming in, we'll be handing it out," she said.

"I used to stay out here on the street," Jones told Catholic News Service. "At the time, they didn't have heat relief for the homeless. We had to stay outside in the heat and hope somebody would come by with water and food and ask if we were all right."

Jones is no longer homeless, but she recalls trying to sleep in the brutal heat.

"You don't want to even move. You're baking, you feel like your whole body will melt. I use to put cardboard down just to separate myself from the hot gravel. It helped very little."

Clancy said charities serving the homeless had a sort of awakening in 2005 when some 30 people died of heat-related illnesses during a particularly bad Phoenix summer.

Now, the society and its network of parishes and donors mobilize water and volunteer drives and help raise awareness of the community's summertime needs.

"If you're out in the elements in heat like this, it's very dangerous," Clancy said. "Your body temperature continues to rise and you may not be able to cool off. Our heat relief efforts bring people inside and give them a chance to do that."

The society also dispatches mobile heat relief each weekday. A van filled with water, food, clothing, sunscreen and other resources targets areas where people live in the open.

The homeless are not the only concern of the society. Families already struggling to meet expenses also are hit hard in hotter months.

"We have high utility bills because of the air-conditioning that's running all summer. We have families with kids out of school, so they may not have access to school food programs, so their food costs go up," Clancy said. It's at this time of year that it gets really stressful for families and they just have a hard time making it through the month with their income."

Cheryl Cameron is a single mother of two who works at a food warehouse as a product verifier making about $10 an hour. Cameron and her children eat dinner at St. Vincent's family dining room most evenings.

"With what I make, it's difficult," she said. "And summer is a lot harder. We come here for dinner because it helps with our food costs."

Cameron said utility bills for the house she lives in with her sister and children can reach as high as $500 a month in the summer.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul assists families in several ways: With daily meals -- more than 4,000 are served each day -- with food boxes, with vouchers for utility payments and with other housing assistance.

Last year in Phoenix, the society delivered $3.5 million in direct aid for utilities and shelter.

As people leave town for vacations and to escape the heat, summer can create a lull in donations and volunteers, who do the majority of the work for many aid organizations.

"Most of us are looking for volunteers to help out and help support us," Clancy said.

St. Vincent de Paul and a local TV station teamed up to launch the "Be a Summer Action Hero" campaign encouraging people to hold food and water drives and volunteer or give to the society's summer relief efforts. It also educates about the hot weather and what it means for vulnerable families and individuals.

Clancy said Pope Francis' focus on mercy and his call to engage in the Year of Mercy is the perfect opportunity for people to help others.

"As Catholics we are always looking for ways that we can engage with people," Clancy said. "It's not so much just handing people food or delivering a food box. It's really offering in that one-to-one service the opportunity for both people to be transformed."

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