The Cathedral of Turin is inaccessible to disabled people in wheelchairs, because there are no ramps. It is the complaint that comes from the Council for people in difficulty (Cpd). In the church dedicated to the patron saint of the city, San Giovanni Battista, where the Shroud is kept. There is only a small side lift: to activate it you have to ring the bell and wait for the attendant. Basically, people in wheelchairs cannot enter independently. This was demonstrated by Giovanni Ferrero, director of the Consulta who went in front of the Duomo together with two disabled people, who climbed the churchyard, sitting on each step of the staircase and helping each other with their arms to highlight "the seriousness of the situation not only for people with disabilities, but also for the elderly and families with a stroller", as documented by a video recorded on the occasion.
Over the years, the Consulta has often asked for the construction of a ramp, but, the institution explains, "despite the favorable opinion of the Curia, the request was promptly rejected for aesthetic reasons by the Superintendency".
"A person with motor disabilities cannot stay in the churchyard because of the staircase, an insurmountable barrier that certainly does not respond to the message 'blessed are the last because they will be the first' if the last are those who have more difficulties - explains Ferrero - Unfortunately the message that arrives today from the Cathedral of Turin is that people with disabilities are not taken into consideration".
Video Turin, Duomo inaccessible to the disabled: protest on the steps
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