Abstract
ABSTRACT How to think theologically about the confirmation of persons with intellectual disabilities in the Church when they do not understand the faith that they supposedly confirm? To answer this question, this article describes a disabled young man's journey through his confirmation year. Nico is severely mentally handicapped and is also diagnosed as autistic. He lives with his mother and stepfather in the village where I am a pastor. He and his parents are members of our church. To introduce the question, I first describe the background of the article, which contains my personal thoughts and motivation towards the project and describes the general conditions under which confirmation takes place in our church. In the second part I give an account of Nico's journey: preparation, experiences during the confirmation classes, the confirmation service on Palm Sunday 2006 and a visit afterwards. In the last part I offer a theological and ecclesiological reflection guided by the distinction by Karl Ernst Nipkow (Professor of Religious Education, Tübingen, Germany) between inclusion “from above” and inclusion “from below.”
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