Pope calls for inclusion of Romani people in the church

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — God has not abandoned the Romani people even if it often seemed that the society and even Catholic Church had, Pope Francis said.

“I am aware that your history has been marked by incomprehension, rejection and marginalization, but even in the hardest moments, you have discovered the closeness of God,” he said in a message to Spain’s Romani community, the traditionally nomadic ethnic group often referred to as “gypsies.”

“God is a pilgrim in history with humanity and has become a nomad with the Romani people,” the pope said in the message marking the community’s presence in Spain for 600 years.

In the message released by the Vatican Jan. 12, the pope praised Spain and the Spanish church for their efforts to promote inclusivity, but he said that “work still needs to be done, because there are still prejudices to overcome and painful situations to confront” for the Romani people, such as families struggling to support their children, young people who encounter difficulty studying or finding a job and discrimination toward women.

Expressing his vision for a welcoming church, Pope Francis called for a church that “wants to continue opening its doors wide open, so that in it we can all feel at home,” and where the Romani people “can grow in your Christian faith without renouncing the best values of your culture.”

Referring to the recent Synod of Bishops on synodality, in which he said the church rediscovered “the importance of walking together,” the pope encouraged the Romani people to faithfully walk with their local bishops and church community, “because in the church the power of the Gospel will purify and enhance your values and culture.”

Pope Francis recognized the many “prophetic and countercultural” traits of the Romani people that can positively contribute to the life of the church, such as: an appreciation for the elderly and family, care for creation, a premium on joy and an understanding of work as a means of living and not merely accumulation.

“Therefore, I invite you to walk together to evangelize, to spread the joy of living the Christian faith, hope and love, especially to young people who have difficulty in finding God inside and outside of the Catholic Church,” he said, encouraging them to be pilgrims of hope for “so many people who have lost the joy of living.”

Pope Francis said that the whole church must keep its doors open to those “who no longer celebrate their faith in the Catholic Church, always offering them the friendship and dialogue proper to those of us who are called to live in fraternity beyond our differences.”

The pope recalled the examples of faith left by two Spanish Romani who have been beatified: Blessed Ceferino Giménez Malla, who was beatified by St. John Paul II in 1997, and Blessed Emilia Fernández Rodríguez, who was beatified in 2017. Both were martyred during the Spanish Civil War.

“Both blesseds remind us of the importance of prayer, of encountering God, the source of joy, fraternity, hope and charity,” he said. “Both risked and lost their lives for the love of God and for the good of others.”