For centuries, people with intellectual disabilities have had restricted access to the sacraments. And I must say that access to certain sacraments is still very restricted. I’m thinking, although perhaps I’m jumping the gun, that access for people with intellectual disabilities to the sacrament of marriage is VERY frowned upon; I would even say it’s dismissed, just like the sacrament of Holy Orders. Although throughout history there have been people with disabilities who have been ordained priests—I’ll mention only Saint Joseph of Cupertino—I believe it would be unthinkable today. However, I know several people with intellectual disabilities who, if the option of the permanent diaconate were opened to them, would probably say YES, a FIAT, with more poise, confidence, and commitment than is perceived in some deacons today.

The arguments against administering the sacraments to people with disabilities range from a characteristic view of ignorance of what intellectual disability is: “They are little angels,” “They don’t need to confess or take communion because they don’t sin” (Ha, ha!!) – I thought that only the Virgin Mary was Immaculate (and Our Lord, of course), but apparently there are those who think that because you have an intellectual disability you should automatically be canonized.

The most common argument for denying them communion is that “they don’t understand what they’re doing.” It’s an argument that doesn’t hold water for a second, but I’ll offer my counterargument in your second question.

On the contrary, why do these people have to receive the sacraments?

First, as a general answer, thinking about any person with a disability and any sacrament, they should receive the sacraments precisely for what a sacrament is:

According to point 1,116 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: «The sacraments, as “powers that spring forth” from the ever-living and life-giving Body of Christ (cf.  Lk  5:17; 6:19; 8:46), and as actions of the Holy Spirit acting in his Body which is the Church, are “God’s masterpieces” in the new and eternal Covenant.»

To deny the sacraments to some people because they have a disability, of any kind, would be to deny Our Lord the possibility of transmitting His grace to these people. Of course, to deny them baptism would be to deny them the right to be children of God. It may seem incredible, but yes, I know of a case in which a priest denied the sacrament of baptism to a somewhat older child because he had autism. His argument was that “he didn’t need it.”

But every other sacrament transfers God’s grace to the recipient. Because you can’t walk, see, hear, or solve problems of formal logic, do you lose the dignity necessary to receive God’s grace?

If we look at each sacrament individually we would say:

1)  Baptism . Jesus’ command is clear: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt 28:19).  He didn’t say  , “Go and make disciples of those who walk, see, hear, and have an IQ above 70.” We must remember that one of the episodes in which the Lord showed his anger was when the disciples prevented children from approaching him. I don’t even want to imagine what his response would have been if they had prevented blind people, or deaf people, or quadriplegics, or people with Down syndrome from approaching him.

2)   Confession : The idea that having any type of disability doesn’t make you sin is to deny human nature, to deny the action of original sin in some people, to deny their concupiscence. As soon as we have even a little use of reason, our ego starts to do its thing. Selfishness starts to appear, the desire to impose my desires and tastes over those of others… whether you have a disability or are the most physically and neurologically structured person. No one is free from sin (except in the cases mentioned above). Therefore, if we are sinners, how can we deny God’s forgiveness to a repentant sinner? From my humble point of view, saying that “they don’t need to go to confession” is to deny the sanctifying action of the sacrament. It is reducing it to a mere gesture in which God does not really act.

3)  Communion : This is probably the sacrament most frequently denied to people with disabilities (and as a result, they are also denied confession, since “if they’re not going to take Communion, why would they need to go to confession?”). Why should they take Communion?

The first time I had the privilege of speaking about spirituality for people with intellectual disabilities was at a conference on Down syndrome. That very day, before my talk, the Lord gave me the gift of shining a light during Holy Mass. Despite having heard it at every Mass, I noticed the words: “Take and eat from it, ALL of you”; “Take and drink from it, ALL of you.” ALL OF YOU!! He didn’t say “those of you with an IQ above 70,” he said “ALL OF YOU.” Logically, you have to be in a state of grace to receive it with dignity, but is there anything undignified about having a disability?

When we deny communion to a person with a disability, we are saying, “You are not worthy.”

To the argument that “they don’t understand what they’re doing, they don’t understand communion,” I always say that if the requirement is to understand that through transubstantiation a piece of bread becomes the Body of Christ and a bit of wine becomes the Blood of Christ, then not even the Pope should receive communion. And I mean that literally.

No one, absolutely NO ONE, understands the Eucharist. The proof is that at the end of the consecration, the priest says: “This is THE mystery of our faith.” “THE mystery”—not a mystery, but THE MYSTERY. There is no mystery comparable to that of the Eucharist. Do we understand it? Absolutely not. What we do is an act of faith, and that’s thanks to Our Lord, who grants it to us. Because we’re not going to win over people with intellectual disabilities in FAITH. There are many well-known cases of crises of faith in the Eucharist that many people, including priests, have suffered. But if a person with an intellectual disability’s parents tell them: “After the priest places his hands on the bread and wine and says the words of consecration, the bread ceases to be bread and becomes the Body of Christ, and the wine ceases to be wine and becomes the Blood of Christ,” that person will NEVER question it, because their mom and dad told them so, and they never lie. People with intellectual disabilities don’t have crises of faith. They believe, with a simplicity and conviction that many of us would like to achieve.

Finally, here’s an argument that a priest, Father José María Calderón, my brother at the time, taught me. He explained: if the Lord accepts and tolerates you and me receiving Communion (as long as we are in a state of grace), even though we are great sinners and have very unclean hearts, how could He not want to be received in hearts as clean as those of people with intellectual disabilities?

To deny communion to people with disabilities is to deny the Lord entry into clean hearts.

4)  Confirmation . It seems to me that the sacrament of confirmation is the one the Church is least clear about. My older sisters were confirmed at six years old, before their First Communion and without any preparation; now it’s later, in their teens. There are dioceses where confirmation is required for canonical marriage, while others don’t…

For me the confirmation makes sense in light of verses 16-18 of Deuteronomy chapter 26:

“Today the Lord your God commands you to keep these commands and decrees. Keep them and observe them with all your heart and with all your soul.  Today you have chosen the Lord to be your God, and you are to walk in his ways ,  to observe his commands, precepts, and decrees, and to listen to his voice. And the Lord has chosen you to be his own people, as he promised you ,  and you are to keep all his precepts. ”

We are the ones who choose the Lord to be our God and to follow his ways, and at the same time, he has chosen us to be his own people. It is a mutual choice, a spousal love, and confirmation is the means to make this mutual covenant explicit.

Can’t the Lord confirm his love for any person just because they have a disability? Can’t, indeed shouldn’t, a person confirm their choice by the Lord, their choice to follow his ways, observe his commandments, and listen to his voice?

5)  Marriage . Today, many people think that people with disabilities cannot marry. They don’t have the right to marry. It’s ridiculous. It’s true that most of them won’t, but there is a percentage of people with disabilities (I’m referring to intellectual disabilities, since I don’t understand why anyone questions this in cases of sensory or motor disabilities) who meet the sufficient and necessary requirements to marry. How will they live? How will they organize themselves? These are not ecclesial or faith-based issues. These issues do not concern the Church. If they have the capacity to give themselves freely and voluntarily, and are determined to love and respect one another, following the way of life proper to marriage, for their entire lives, then there is no impediment to their marrying.

Unfortunately, it is true that many people, lacking the necessary professional knowledge (neither in neuropsychology nor in law—which could deny them freedom) decide that because they have a disability, they are not free. But the Church affirms that:

“Those who are not prohibited by law may marry.”

But is anyone free? Aren’t we in a constant struggle against our limits, our passions, our lust?

Is a test of intelligence, commitment, and sincerity put on the bride and groom when they propose to the Church? No, but if they have an intellectual disability, then they are required to do things that aren’t required of the rest.

6)  Priestly Orders : As I mentioned earlier, at least Saint Joseph of Cupertino was ordained a priest, despite his intellectual disability. But it is doubtful that Saint John Mary Vianney would be able to pass all the subjects of the theology degree today, a requirement for ordination, and he is the patron saint of parish priests! Again, as I mentioned in the case of Marriage, the truth is that it would be a minimal percentage (to begin with, only men) who could consider this vocation. However, I insist, I know several young men and women with intellectual disabilities who, if they were to experience the permanent diaconate, could find in that service their means of dedicating themselves to the Lord. Today, unfortunately, this proposal is considered revolutionary and therefore scorned by the Church, but knowing the work that permanent deacons do and knowing hundreds of people with intellectual disabilities, I don’t see any incompatibility between the two.

7)  Anointing of the Sick : I am not aware of anyone ever denying this sacrament to a disabled person, of any kind, and I would like to think that no one would think of denying it, although the same argument could be given as in the case of confession, right? If one thinks that they do not have the capacity to sin, why receive this sacrament?

Has there been pain for these people and their families due to having so many difficulties?

I’ve always said that nothing makes a parent prouder than a child’s success, and nothing hurts them more than their suffering. Therefore, when a person with a disability suffers discrimination and is hampered or even denied access to a sacrament, they suffer, but I believe the parents’ pain is greater. Often, the person with a disability isn’t even aware that they’re being denied that sacrament; the parents prefer to protect them and keep them on the sidelines (in a way, they’re also protecting the Church; they don’t want the person suffering the grievance to reject their Mother). However, the family’s pain is enormous, and on several occasions, I’ve seen how, as a result of these difficulties or this rejection, the entire family has distanced itself from the Church and questioned the meaning of its faith.

What does the Church say about this? Because a priest can say one thing, and the Church another.

Several Church documents advocate for the full inclusion of persons with disabilities into the life of the Church, ranging from documents from some Vatican dicasteries to documents from episcopal conferences in different countries and apostolic letters from Francis and Benedict XVI.

Why, despite such clear guidelines, are there still priests reluctant to offer the sacraments to people with disabilities? It’s clear to me that it’s a personal matter for the priest. In the Diocese of Madrid, there is a Disability Commission and a Catechesis Commission for People with Disabilities. Both prepare documents and offer help to anyone who needs it and seeks it. Why do many priests prefer to go it alone rather than seek advice from those who know…? You should ask them that.

Why did you get involved in this? What motivated you to dedicate your time?

I have been professionally dedicated to disability for almost thirty-three years, and for many years now I have heard the complaints of parents (especially mothers) who felt their children were excluded, ignored, and set aside from the life of the parishes. Families belonging to different ecclesial movements in which they found no place for their children. It was these voices that encouraged us to found the Friends in Jesus Prayer Community, Jerome Lejeune. We wanted to open a small door to welcome people with disabilities, and to be able to receive and learn with them and from them their capacity to trust and love the Lord, that very genuine way, so similar to the Little Way of Simplicity proposed by Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus of the Holy Face (on few occasions did the Saint use the conjunction AND between both titles).

What exactly do you do so they can receive the sacraments? Can you give us some examples?

What we do is offer formation once a week, and then we do a half-hour of Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. It’s not formal formation, in the sense of following the catechism; it’s more of a Christological and Eucharistic formation. We’re also looking for priests who want to accompany us for confession and communion, but, incredible as it may seem, this is a goal we haven’t yet achieved. There are few priests, and they’re very busy. I must say that we’ve received help from two parish priests, but they’re very distant, and we’re very embarrassed to have to make them travel several kilometers to come to our parish.

How do you approach it? How did the different ideas for implementing it come about?

From the beginning, the Friends in Jesus Jerome Lejeune Prayer Community was born as a Eucharistic community. That is, we knew that the center had to be Adoration, but for Jesus to be in the Blessed Sacrament, the Holy Mass is necessary. That is why our idea has always been to celebrate one Mass a month to live it in Community and open to the parish and all who wanted to come to know our reality. In addition, we could ensure that the members of the Community, although they all go to Mass on Sundays, could have a celebration in which they could participate more actively, experiencing the Sacrament very closely. But as if it were a game of dominoes, in order to fully celebrate the Holy Mass and receive Communion, we first celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It’s not always easy for people with disabilities to go to confession, since due to their communication difficulties, the priest may not understand what the penitent wants to tell him. That’s why we provide support, help them examine their conscience, and help them write down what they want to tell the priest. They write it—or someone else does it for them—on a white piece of paper in the shape of a heart. They give this paper to the priest, and after granting them absolution, he gives them another piece of white paper, shaped like a heart but completely blank, as a sign that their heart is now completely clean.

When they leave the confessional, they come with a big smile, happy, and receive everyone’s applause.

Do you participate and accompany them when they receive the sacraments?

Yes, both the celebration of the sacrament of confession and the celebration of the Eucharist are community activities. We all participate. We are not only together, but we truly share the joy of receiving God’s grace through his sacraments.

How many people have received the sacraments thanks to this initiative?

Over the years, several young people with intellectual disabilities from our Community have received their First Communion (and subsequent Communions). These are beautiful, well-prepared, and intimate ceremonies, unlike the group celebrations in schools or parishes. Only one person receives their First Communion, and we are all there to accompany them and celebrate with them the arrival of Jesus in their hearts. Some have also received the Sacrament of Confirmation, but that ceremony is held within the parish’s general group.

Is the Church gradually changing that mentality?

As I said, there are already quite a few Church documents that encourage, indicate how to do it, and facilitate the incorporation of people with disabilities into the sacraments (for the majority, at least, perhaps not so for the sacrament of Matrimony and Holy Orders). I believe the Church is on the right path and taking firm steps. What is needed now is for priests in general and parish priests in particular to want to take on the challenge—I would say the privilege—of incorporating people with disabilities into the community life of their parishes. There is still a long, long way to go here, since we are talking about moving individual wills… and sometimes they seem heavier than the stone that covered the Holy Sepulchre.

ADDENDUM Like a caress from heaven, as I was finishing writing these responses, someone asked me for a book, and as I was checking it before handing it in, I found a picture of Blessed Manuel Lozano Garrido, Lolo. I ask that what I have written for a magazine, as he wrote, be for the greater glory of God.