Pope Leo XIV calls for recognizing Jesus in people with disabilities
The pope received members of the Federación Marsodeto, a Spanish organization that works with people with cerebral palsy and intellectual disabilities, as it marks its 45th anniversary
Pope Leo XIV received members of the Federación Marsodeto on August 24, 2026. The Spanish non-governmental organization works with people with cerebral palsy and intellectual disabilities. The pope said that recognizing the face of Jesus in every person with a disability is a necessary condition for genuine progress in society.
Leo XIV thanked the federation for its selfless commitment, work that is often quiet and that "no one sees and only God can reward." He turned to the Gospel to ground his message: "Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me" (Mt 25:40).
The Federación Marsodeto was founded in 1980 by Father Marcelino Casas Puente, with the dream that "no family with a person with an intellectual disability would be left without support." It now serves more than 2,600 people. The pope summed up the spirit that should drive that work in a single sentence: "The love of Christ impels us toward our brothers and sisters."
The federation's members traveled from Toledo, in central Spain, to Rome for the organization's 45th anniversary. Leo XIV pointed to the values that define its mission: solidarity, the defense of human dignity and the full inclusion of people living with an intellectual disability or cerebral palsy.
The pope entrusted the federation to the protection of the Virgin Mary. He said he hoped she would accompany its members in their daily work and help them keep their eyes fixed on the Lord, so that the organization would remain a point of reference for the Church and for society.
