From disability to pastoral

Socio-pastoral guidelines for understanding disability

Abstract

This essay addresses the topic of disability as a socially constructed phenomenon, examining the surrounding religious imaginaries and proposing guidelines for a transformative pastoral care in ecclesial spaces. Traditionally, religious narratives have presented problematic and dehumanizing views of disability: as divine punishment or as a consequence of sin. This not only stigmatizes but, in some cases, generates pity, reducing the person’s dignity to an object of charity and commiseration. The essay proposes a socio-pastoral paradigm shift: transitioning from a pastoral care for people with disabilities to a pastoral care with them, recognizing them as active subjects and protagonists of community life. This entails fostering an ecclesiology of communion where functional diversity is perceived as a valuable expression of the richness of the Body of Christ. The task is twofold: first, to critically deconstruct exclusionary theological models and social representations; second, to co-construct, alongside people with disabilities, genuinely welcoming, safe, and accessible communities of faith. The goal is for the church to become a visible and inclusive sign of the kingdom of God.