«You have come to Rome from all parts of Europe – some even from outside Europe – as pilgrims of hope in this Jubilee. With your presence you remind us that “hope is itinerant” – the title of our meeting –; and today we all feel put back on the path by the gift that you bring with you to the Pope: your strong faith, the unshakable hope in God alone, the solid trust that does not give in to the hardships of a life often on the margins of society.” With these words Pope Leo XIV welcomed the faithful who participated in the Jubilee of the Roma, Sinti and Caminanti, today 18 October, in the Paul VI hall.
The Pontiff recalled that «today’s Jubilee celebration falls sixty years after the historic first world meeting that Pope Saint Paul VI had with your communities, in Pomezia, on 26 September 1965. Almost a witness of that event is the statue of the Madonna here today, which the Pontiff himself crowned as “Queen of the Roma, Sinti and Caminanti”».
Pope Leo underlined how Roma communities can witness the centrality of three things: «Trust only in God, do not attach yourself to any worldly good, show exemplary faith in deeds and words. It’s not a given to live like this. We learn by welcoming God’s blessing and letting it work to change our hearts.” And he then added: «For almost a thousand years you have been pilgrims and nomads in a context which, progressively, has built development models that have proven to be unjust and unsustainable in many respects. This is why so-called “advanced” societies have consistently discarded you, always placing you on the margins: on the margins of cities, on the margins of rights, on the margins of education and culture. Yet, the very model of society that has marginalized you and made you itinerant without peace and without welcome – first in seasonal caravans and then in camps located on the outskirts of cities, where you sometimes still live without electricity and water – is the one that has created the greatest social injustices on a global level in the last century: enormous economic inequalities between people and peoples, unprecedented financial crises, environmental disasters, wars. But we, in faith in Jesus Christ, we know that “the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone”, and therefore we are increasingly strengthened in the idea that the very values that the poor carry forward with great dignity and pride are the ones we must all look to in order to change course. Your presence on the outskirts of the West is in fact a sign to which we can refer in order to eliminate many structures of sin, for the good and progress of humanity towards a more peaceful and just coexistence, in harmony with God, with creation and with others”.
The Pontiff launched an exhortation: «Be protagonists of the ongoing change of era, walking together to other people of good will in the places where you are, going beyond mutual distrust, making known the beauty of your culture, sharing faith, prayer and the bread that is the fruit of honest work. Finally, in thanking the Dicastery for Integral Human Development and the Migrantes Foundation for the great effort put in place in order to organize such a beautiful Jubilee, I invite you, pastoral workers with the Roma, Sinti and Caminanti, to carry forward with renewed energy the objectives formulated by the V World Congress of Pastoral Care for Gypsies. I refer in particular to those relating to education and professional training, pastoral attention for the family and community, the inculturation of the liturgy and catechesis – including the linguistic issue – and to ecumenical and interreligious dialogue in the world of Roma, Sinti and Caminanti. Lastly, I hope that every Diocese will develop adequate pastoral attention dedicated to the Roma, Sinti and Traveler communities, for true integral human growth.”
(Reuters photo: the Jubilee of Roma, Sinti and Caminanti in the Paul VI Hall)
