Five blind cyclists met with Pope Francis after his General Audience in St. Peter's Square after cycling over 400 miles along the Via Francigena to support palliative care for children with rare or terminal diseases.
MAURO ROBERTO PAULON
We came from Treviso and brought this message to the Pope, so that he may know about this and remember these children, and we did it ourselves through our own effort and with our non-seeing friends to give it an even deeper meaning.
These blind cyclists belong to the DOPLA cycling group, dedicated to promoting forms of cycling adapted for blind people, who this time around were supported by the Vatican's cycling team.
MAURO ROBERTO PAULON
We can on a tandem bike to Rome, so there are guides who have a bit of cycling experience and behind them are the blind or visually impaired people who help them pedal.
PAOLO SCOMPARIN
It's a team effort, the work of a pair, us and the guides, there must be an affinity there. We have prepared for this over time, and above all it is a way of doing something that is good for us.
Beyond speaking to the Pope about the need for laws that guarantee access to palliative care for the most young, they also recalled the difficult situations in which some blind people live.
PAOLO SCOMPARIN
I thought in that instant, in the moment that I shook the Pope's hand, that I heard a voice rise from my heart saying: remember the blind in war, the blind in Africa, that is, those who are doubly blind because of the great difficulty they are in, in their environment and at this time.
The Pope thanked them for their work, and, as usual, asked them to pray for him.
