Welcome to the Official page of the Presidency of the Portuguese Republic

I am certain that, after this campaign, the world has become a slightly better place.

Whenever we meet with the objective of jointly ascertaining what we know about our different brothers we become richer because we have all learnt a little more.

This Campaign covered communication, an incrementing communication. Precisely what we require when we wish to reach out to those we love, who need us and have difficulty in understanding us.

And we confirm, with the certainty that when we speak we understand each other (and at times we cannot reach an understanding), that there are many ways of speaking.

With the eyes, with gestures, with music, with dancing, with sounds, with silence.

I believe that nobody has any doubts that this Campaign with which the John Paul II Centre wished to commemorate its 20th anniversary in the service of the Handicapped is very dear to me.

Because different citizens, with different needs, are a very special part of my concerns.

Because communicating, to a life long Teacher of languages and culture, such as I, is part of my training and of my profession.

Attitudes towards different citizens have greatly improved in the last decades and all those present here today and belong in the older generations are well aware of what I am talking about.

The change in mentalities was backed up, and greatly aided, by the new technologies which opened many gates to difficulties in the communications, in mobility, and others, of our handicapped citizens.

It is our duty to take the maximum possible advantage of the opportunities provided by the new era and thus ransom what the old era was incapable, or did not wish, to carry out.

Here we are today, in a home that for 20 years has been totally dedicated to the more fragile amongst us, closing a Campaign which opened new routes to all those who are concerned with Deficiency: those that suffer from it and those that treat it and provide aid for it.

We leave encouraged since we know that we feel better today than we did yesterday, but we are yet worse than we will be tomorrow.

The path continues forward and we want to tread it hand in hand.

Thus we will be able to arrive!