Co-working. Co-supporting. Access for all: Minna’s Rome pilgrimage
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Our accessibility coordinator Minna recently took part in a special pilgrimage to Rome as part of the Jubilee Year of Hope. Here, she tells us more about her personal journey of faith, inclusion and unexpected grace…
Last year, a pilgrimage for people with disabilities was announced for the Jubilee Year of Hope.
I’ve never been to Rome, a city that has supreme importance in the Catholic Church, so this appealed to me, but so did being part of the activities scheduled including an audience with Pope Francis. This would be with support from sign language interpreters and therefore I just felt it was an opportunity too good to miss – for those who aren’t familiar with me, I’m Deaf.
As time moved on, I also realised that by happy coincidence, I would be in Rome for the canonisation of Blessed Carlos Acutis and attending this was worked into the plan for the pilgrimage. I was due to fly on 26 April and return on 1 May.
Then things changed.
On Easter Monday, it was announced that the Holy Father, Pope Francis had died. The Church went into mourning. All meetings and the canonisation were cancelled until after the funeral. Although it was expected in some ways, it was still a shock. It felt like the whole world was hanging on announcement of the plans going forward. I noted that in the celebration of Mass, the mention of a pope in the Eucharistic prayer was omitted and each Mass reminded me that the seat of Peter was vacant.
The date was getting nearer for my Saturday departure and then it was announced that the funeral of Pope Francis would take place on that day. Then an idea was planted, almost without realising it, and I looked to see if I could change my flight. A surprise to me, the cost to do so, travelling on Friday evening, was only £45 so it felt like too good an opportunity to miss.
I contacted the pilgrimage organiser, Cristina Gangemi, and she also told me something amazing. She had arranged for me to stay an extra night in the accommodation and be picked up at 4.30am on Saturday morning to be taken to the Vatican for the funeral. Furthermore, Sr Veronica Donatello, who works in the Vatican, would be meeting me to bring me to accessible seats, and provide (Italian) sign language interpretation.
I could not believe this. And no, while I don’t sign Italian Sign Language, I have some experience with International Sign Language and some limited understanding of liturgical Latin, and the structure of the Mass. But to be honest – just to be there was enough.
I was extremely privileged to sit behind the clergy during the funeral. I could see the funeral unfold with the naked eye, and I had a giant screen to my left. I felt so included. There were about 20 other Deaf people there, mostly Italian and German but also a couple from Canada and a Deaf American priest, Fr Shawn Carey.
The atmosphere I experienced is hard to put into words.
I didn’t need to be able to hear the crowds to tell that it was peaceful.
I didn’t need to be able to hear the liturgy to tell that it was prayerful.
I didn’t need to hear the applause for Pope Francis to know that it was meant with love.
Everyone there, I’m sure, had different reasons for their presence. For me I had two. Firstly, the office of the papacy, the successor of St Peter and the leader of the Catholic Church. Secondly, the man Francis, or Jorge Mario Bergoglio. I felt Pope Francis’ efforts to drive forward an inclusive church.
It seemed so fitting that his funeral was inclusive too. I am so privileged to have been there, I read that there were 250 thousand people in attendance, and it seems so strange that me, from Manchester should have ended up there, in that seat. A series of ‘God-incidences’ – things coming together in God’s providence.
After the funeral, people who had planned to join the pilgrimage as advertised began to arrive and over the next few days I experienced several events that just highlighted how smooth access for sign language users can be.
I can think of five events during this week that I spent time talking with Deaf individuals from around the world. There were regularly a line of sign language interpreters using different languages stood next to each other, or in front of different groups of Deaf people providing interpretation. A barrier in fact occurred for them. Most things, or at least a lot of things, were spoken in Italian, so the non-Italian speaking sign language interpreters struggled, relying on live spoken language translations and earpieces, which was often delayed. For me, I was able to follow some of the American and Italian sign language interpreters for the gist, again a privilege that not everyone had.
I suppose what this really pointed out to me, something that I already know, and tell people during accessibility awareness training, is that deafness itself isn’t the barrier in situations like this.
It isn’t a ‘problem’ at all unless communication is interrupted or blocked.
I signed with a Deafblind German lady, Sr Judith, and if anything, the barrier was my lack of German sign language knowledge. Another Deaf man helped us, mediating language between the two sign languages. I felt for him having to take big side steps so that we could both see him at the appropriate times. Sr Judith has some close-up sight and uses a cane and a guide to move around.
During this pilgrimage, there were perhaps 500 Deaf people from all over the world including India, Mexico, Canada, Ireland and France all having full access (although at times delayed) through a barrage of sign language interpreters. It was reported to me that it felt more like 1,000, but I don’t believe a formal count was made. Such a stark difference from the, at most, handful that I’m used to at events in the UK.
This was mostly felt during the Jubilee Mass for People with Disabilities celebrated at the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Wall. The Mass celebrated by Archbishop Fisichella for the worldwide Deaf community at Oratorio San Filippo Neri was standing room only, and that was after all the extra chairs that were brought in.
I made the personal decision to go and sit at the side of the sanctuary behind some Italian, Indian and American Deaf people, making use of my newly improved Italian Sign Language skills and lip-reading the American interpreter in between. It felt like such a ‘deaf gain’, a contrast to dealing with issues of hearing-loss.
A few of the interpreters present were ordained clergy I noted which I was really pleased to see. This is something I would like to encourage in the UK, that clergy are supported to become BSL interpreters and develop a Deaf apostolate. At present, although there are some who are learning sign language to different levels, none, that I am aware of, are fluent, or interpreters.
Paradoxically, it was the hearing interpreters who were feeling the ‘barrier’ when English translations weren’t freely available at different points. It was really positive to see the ASL interpreter, Lizzi, running over to give our BSL interpreter her earpiece for translation because her colleague was an Italian speaker.
Co-working, co-supporting access for all. That is what is all about.
Dr Minna Moffatt-Feldman
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