Veronica Amata Donatello

Sister Veronica Amata Donatello, a Franciscan of Alcantara, is one of the Church’s leading figures in the pastoral care of inclusion and the support of people with disabilities.

Having grown up in a family with deaf parents, she learnt Italian Sign Language (LIS) from a young age and went on to become an interpreter and teacher of the language.

Today she is head of the Italian Bishops’ Conference’s (CEI) National Service for the Pastoral Care of People with Disabilities and a consultant to the Holy See’s Dicastery for Communication, within which she coordinates the ‘No One Excluded’ project.

She focuses in particular on pastoral training. A lecturer at various universities, she is also the author of books and academic papers on the theme of inclusion.

She represented the Italian Church at the UN Conference on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (COSP, New York 2025). In 2016, President Sergio Mattarella awarded her the title of Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic for her commitment to and promotion of a truly inclusive Church.