Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Freising (Agenzia Fides) – “Youth gypsies in the Church and society” is the theme for the 6th World Congress for Pastoral Care of Gypsies, which will take place at the Bildungszentrum Kardinal-Döpfner-Haus in Freising (Germany), September 1-4. The Congress is being sponsored by the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of
Migrants and Itinerant People in collaboration with the German Catholic Bishops’ Conference. The event is an initiative based on the Holy Father’s Message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2008, in which the Pontiff asked for an increased commitment to working with youth migrants, in order to help them to better face the challenges of integration in society and offer them the possibility of receiving all that can contribute to their human, cultural, and professional formation. Thus, within the distinctions that can be made between migrant and itinerant peoples, these exhortations are also true for gypsy youth, oftentimes subject to discrimination on the part of their non-gypsy peers.
Invited guests of the Congress include the Bishops, national directors, pastoral workers, and representatives from the gypsy community who will come from various countries where there is a pastoral ministry being carried out with gypsy communities, i.e. European nations, Brazil, and India. Representatives from Chile, the Philippines, and Indonesia will be present for the first time at the Congress.
The over 150 participants from 25 nations, with pastoral care structures established to work with the gypsy community, will work on evaluating the spiritual and material needs of gypsy youth, indicating and finding remedy for the underprivileged situations that they live in, and thus, enumerate practical means to support their human and religious formation and promote a greater participation in the projects, decisions, and activities that affect them.
The Congress’ workshops will begin with an opening address and welcoming words from Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino, President of the Dicastery, which will be read by Archbishop Agostino Marchetto, Secretary of the Dicastery, followed by a speech given by Archbishop Marchetto introducing the theme. The Congress is divided into two parts. The morning sessions will be dedicated to talks, followed by debates in assembly. The afternoon sessions will be composed of two round-table discussions, one for national directors and another for the gypsy youth. There are also several speakers of gypsy origin who are active among their organizations.
The gypsy community numbers about 36 million people living in Europe, the Americas, and in some Asian nations. 18 million of them live in India, which is this people’s native land. European officials estimate that about somewhere between 9 and 12 million gypsies live in Europe, with a large part of the population concentrated in eastern Europe. There are also about 1 million gypsies living in the United States. Gypsies are broken down into various groups and ethnic backgrounds. Among the most typical are: the Rom, the Sinti, the Manousche, the Kalé, the Yéniches, and the Xoraxané. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 1/9/2008)
