No one can deny the Sacraments to people with disabilities

In his recent message on the occasion of the International Day dedicated to the disabled persons, Pope Francis affirms that "no one can refuse the Sacraments to people with disabilities," thereby responding to the question that Serena, a young Italian woman, asks him in the video-testimony that we are publishing today.

This is the first video of the #IamChurch series: a campaign aimed at giving voice to persons with disabilities, who contribute daily to the life of every church community.

"Dear Pope Francis, I am part of a youth group and we are also going to the WYD in Krakow this year. However, I know that many young people like me do not feel welcomed in their parishes, they do not receive Communion and do not participate in Mass with others. I don't understand why, can you explain this to me?" says Serena.

Like all the protagonists of the #IamChurch campaign, Serena spontaneously describes her experience as a woman with a disability, who is aware of her ecclesial belonging and does so starting from the awareness that - as the Pope writes in the same message – “Having Jesus as a friend is an immense consolation”.

"Jesus," she says, "has always accompanied me and continues to do so despite difficulties and troubled times, and He shares beautiful things and experiences with me. Jesus is my friend, the daily encounter that He is with me, He is beside me and He never leaves me."

#IamChurch is an initiative of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, as part of the "Amoris Laetitia Family" Year.  It is a journey that unfolds through five videos, to discover women and men who are all too often victims of the culture of waste and who, instead, bear witness to a smiling, proactive, cheerful humanity: the attractive face of the Church.