A Person with a Disability in the Church: The Concept of the Active Church – the Objective Dimension

Abstract

For a person with a disability the activity in the Church depends not only on the personal convictions but also on the external factors which are independent from him or her but which condition the possibility of being active in the Church to a greater extent. The article focuses on the analysis of the interviews conducted with people with physical disabilities, with the deaf, with the blind, with those with full or partial mental disability as well as with the caregivers of people with disabilities. The aim of the article is to find answers to the following questions: which spheres of the pastoral practice determine the inclusive Church? To what extent can people with disabilities be active in the Church and to what extent do they want it? The article discusses the original Concept of the Active Church (KAK) in the objective dimension. The concept constitutes the answer to the above-mentioned questions. KAK in the subjective dimension includes the spheres in which people with disabilities can and want to be active in the Church.