These parents of seven children came to Rome to attend the General Audience and meet Pope Francis.
MARÍA TERESA ROBLES
We wanted to come because we are Christians. We are Catholics and universality is found here in Rome. We wanted to come to bring our children, whom we have formed in the eyes of God.
Two of María Teresa and Iñigo's 7 children have disabilities. One of them has Down syndrome, a condition that they believe is often not accepted by society.
ÍÑIGO MUNIESA
Disability has transformed us all. It has made us see life through his eyes, not just our own.
José María was diagnosed with leukemia when he was three years old. He needed a bone marrow transplant, which could not be performed because his body did not respond well to chemotherapy. At that point, the doctors gave up on him and advised his parents to take him to palliative care. They declined the offer and decided to opt for an experimental method that had never before been applied to a person with Down syndrome in Europe.
The family has spent many hours in the hospital. María Teresa and Iñigo strongly believe that their faith has been, and still is, a fundamental cornerstone in overcoming all the adversities they have faced.
ÍÑIGO MUNIESA
You know that in these situations people give you encouragement; they give you a lot of strength, a lot of warm feelings...other people logically tell you that they are praying for you. We took everything. You have to be very open and take absolutely everything because people are always supporting you.
Even with all this support, the couple says there have been very difficult moments.
MARIA TERESA ROBLES
There are times when you don't have the ability to say to God: Help me. You are witnessing such great pain and it is very difficult for you to look at the sky or even, I won't say understand, because you don't have to understand. You have to love God; you don't have to understand Him.
And people may say that God does not exist, but no one after the experience that we have lived can deny what I have lived.
The couple believes that their meeting with Pope Francis has helped them find new strength to continue fighting for their son's life.
AM/SA
TR: KG
