04 October 2014 St. Francis of Assisi Patron Saint of Italy Comments | Letters to the editor | Church | Life | Family | Headings | Dossier | World Who we are | Subscriptions | Contacts Chronicle | Politics | Culture | Economy | Shows | Sport | Science & Technology | Video | Photo BOLOGNA | CASERTA | MILAN | ROME Avvenire Home Page > Comments > "A child with Down syndrome is a gift from God" What is the difference between who (s) speaks and who lives Comments The director replies «A child with Down syndrome is a gift from God» What a difference between who (s) speaks and who lives Marco Tarquinio 2 October 2014 Facebook twitter google + mail font print Dear manager, I am a (happy) dad of 14 children. I am writing to you for two reasons. The first to thank each of you from the heart. I thank you who are the editor of the "richest" and most precious newspaper I know. I thank all the people who work there, who write and who do a lot of people a lot of good. We, my wonderful wife, my children and I, have been living in Brazil for 18 years in a Mission of the Cenacolo Community that welcomes abandoned street children and orphans. I thank God for having "called" us and for giving us the strength to "stay" here all this time. Our story - the 14 children, the Mission, the reason why we are here ... - is a bit long and so maybe I'll tell you another time. Today I am writing to you because I have read and reflected on a letter addressed to you, which you commented on last September 18th: it speaks of a boy with Down syndrome at work and of the "tenderness" he aroused in a supermarket customer. I just want to share that we too have been blessed by God with the arrival of a Down child, our last child. It is of incredible tenderness, sensitivity and sweetness. They are truly "special" children. When F. was born we inquired, we asked, read in order to help him grow in the right way. We have learned many things, starting with the fact that they are children with serious health problems (they are hypotonic, that is, with all the muscles in the body more fragile, and often suffer from heart problems) and who require a lot of attention, time and love. The most interesting discovery, however, is that they are particularly sensitive, and above all they are pure. Yes, pure. They don't filter thoughts, gestures or responses with malice, interest or convenience. They are pure! And they teach us about purity. F. is teaching us to love as God loves us. How everyone should love. He's a great baby. Both we and all his brothers are literally passionate about F., we are convinced that we have been "chosen" to receive a "special" gift! Just as every family that receives a Down child as a special gift must be aware of having been chosen by God. It is a gift and not a burden or a problem. It is an immense gift! In these days, among the many "nonsense" that we have heard about Down children there is one in particular that struck me and above all worries me. Avvenire has spoken extensively about it: it is the thesis of that well-known scientist who claims that giving birth to a Down child would be an immoral act! Mamma mia, what point have we arrived at. It is no longer immoral to abort, but it would be immoral to give birth to a child ... In this case, a child who can help us become more "human", more real! It is disturbing to see how we are moving away from God and therefore we are moving away from the Truth. I just wanted to share with her the joy that we experience every day with our son. We wish to thank God for giving us such a great and beautiful gift. Thanks and a warm hug. We wish to thank God for giving us such a great and beautiful gift. Thanks and a warm hug. We wish to thank God for giving us such a great and beautiful gift. Thanks and a warm hug. Maurizio Alesso - Associação São Lourenço www.comunitacenacolo.it E io come posso, caro amico, non condividere a mia volta la vostra gioia con tutti i nostri lettori? Lei fa capire molto bene quale e quanta differenza ci sia tra chi esercita retorica e chi parla di ciò che vive, tra chi giudica dall’alto e da lontano la vita degli altri e chi, invece, è abituato a parlare e a misurarsi con le persone occhi negli occhi. In fondo è stato un bene che la violenza di espressioni usate come pugni da un uomo di scienza abbia scosso almeno una parte dell’opinione pubblica mondiale e “costretto” a mettere vera attenzione sull’ostile e scandaloso pregiudizio riservato alle persone affette da sindrome di Down. Le sono molto grato per la sua appassionata e testimonianza. Abbracci F. per me e con lui tutto il resto della sua grande e bella famiglia. Se poi le verrà voglia di raccontarmi la sua storia «un po’ lunghetta», sa dove trovarmi. Grazie ancora, sono lettori come lei che ci aiutano a essere un giornale “ricco“. © reserved reproduction FEATURED ARTICLES Synod 2014 Kasper: telling young people the truth of marriage Father Vitillo in the villages in Liberia: they do not know what the disease is The Church among the desperate of Ebola Proposal Pd Do-it-yourself divorce, now the government holds back Peeters interview The assault of the gendercracy The case University radios conquer the web Copyright 2014 © Avvenire | VAT number 00743840159 | Credits | Privacy | For advertising