Priest on World ALS Day: Faith allows me to experience illness with peace of mind

Father Álvaro Granados, a Spanish priest who has been fighting Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) for six years, has assured in a recent interview that his faith has been strengthened, helps him make sense of the illness and overcome the fear of dying.

“My faith has changed and strengthened a lot in these years. Thank God, faith allows me to experience the illness with tranquility, security and with meaning. Faith helps me make sense of the illness,” he said in an interview with Jordi Sabaté, an activist and Catholic content creator who suffers from the same illness.

Father Álvaro, 60 years old, stressed that “pain is what God uses to communicate with us.” “Through the illness, God has told me many things. “I think I have come into more trust with God, especially when he helps me accept his will,” he said on June 19.

The SHE, which they both suffer from, is a rare, progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, leading to the loss of motor functions. This currently lacks a curative treatment.

For a year and a half, Father Álvaro has not been able to move his legs or arms. A year ago, the disease began to affect his respiratory system and mouth. Currently, he has 10% respiratory capacity and, therefore, must be connected to the ventilator and oxygen all day.

Despite this, the priest continues his priestly service in the parish of San José María Escrivá in Rome. Although he can no longer teach classes at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (Holy Cross), now he is essentially dedicated to receiving visits from the faithful and their friends: an hour and a half in the morning, after celebrating Mass, and another hour and a half in the afternoon.

Father Álvaro firmly believes that the sick have a crucial role in society and in the Church. “We who are sick are the pillar, the foundation, the hidden foundation of the life of the Church,” he stated. His message to other sick people is to seek God through illness and find purpose even in the midst of suffering.

A vocation born in the family

Father Álvaro, a Law graduate and a Doctor in Theology and Philosophy, shared with Jordi how his priestly vocation arose within his family. “I had Christian parents who raised me in great ideals,” he gratefully recalled.

From a young age, he felt the desire to do something meaningful with his life, and he found a way to do it in the priesthood. “I believe that the priesthood is something very great and I thank my parents because I owe them a large part of my vocation,” he said.

The onset of ALS

Seven years ago, the first symptoms of ALS began for Father Álvaro, with difficulties in his right foot. However, it was not until a year later that he understood that it was a neurological problem, and not an orthopedic one as he had assumed. Upon receiving the diagnosis, his initial reaction was one of calm acceptance.

“I tried to live from day to day. I went to the hospital chapel and told God: ‘Whatever you want,’ and that gave me a lot of peace,” he explained.

the fear of death

During the interview, Father Álvaro pointed out that being afraid of death “is normal for everyone,” since wanting to live “is a natural instinct.” “I am a believer and I have always been afraid of death, but now that I have ALS, for several years, I am not absolutely afraid of dying, but I am afraid of how to die.”

According to the priest, incurable patients with ALS and other diseases can do great good to the people around them.

“We help them realize that a sick person, even if they cannot do anything, is still a human being with dignity. This respect for the dignity of the sick helps everyone to grow, enrich and humanize themselves,” he expressed.

Un message for politicians and society

In Spain, the fight for the implementation of the ALS law is a constant battle. This law would allow ALS patients to have access to the specialized care necessary to extend their life expectancy. Currently, only 5% of patients can afford this palliative care, while the majority face desperation and, in some cases, euthanasia due to lack of financial support.

In this context, Father Álvaro sent a clear message to politicians: “No one wants to die. We all want to live because life is a wonderful gift. But when one finds themselves desperate because they do not have a family environment that supports them, or because public institutions do not ensure a minimum of dignity, desperation comes. I think that is a great failure of public institutions and society, of the State.”

In that sense, the Spanish priest made an urgent call to increase research and provide the necessary resources for patients with ALS. “I think it’s a worthwhile cause. What’s more, if we do not realize that research to stop diseases like ALS is important, society becomes dehumanized.”

“Therefore, I believe that it is necessary for there to be foundations and institutions that increase research into these diseases. Hopefully the cause of ALS will be found as soon as possible and a remedy will be given. Because it would be a change for many patients and a change for society, making it more sensitive to these problems,” he concluded.