Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - On 11 - 12 December 2006, a Study Meeting of the National Directors of the Pastoral Care of Gypsies, on the “Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of Gypsies, Careful Examination of the Document”, was held at Palazzo San Calisto in Rome. The event, organised by the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, attended by 27 delegates from 21 countries, representing three continents: Europe (Austria, Belgium, Croatia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine and Hungary), the Americas (the USA and, for the first time, Chile) and Asia (Bangladesh, the Philippines, India and Indonesia, who were also present for the first time).
The final document, a copy of which was sent to Fides, illustrates the work of the two day meeting which opened with a concelebration of the Eucharist presided by Cardinal Raffaele Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples followed by an opening speech by the Council secretary Archbishop Agostino Marchetto. Interventions with regard to the Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of Gypsies from various view points, general, biblical, ecclesiological, juridical were followed by reports from Chaplains working with Gypsies of the sea in Bangladesh, Indonesia and the Philippines and study groups.
In the conclusions the participants acknowledged the importance of finally having a document (Guidelines) that bears witness to the efforts carried out by the Catholic Church in the pastoral care of Gypsies, which recognises their spirituality and aims to offer nomads the teaching of the Gospel in its entirety. This Document describes the pastoral care of Gypsies not merely as charity, but rather as a requirement of the catholicity of the Church.
In the work of evangelising Gypsies, the process of inculturation, understood as being the incarnation of the Gospel within cultures, together with the introduction of the life of the Church so that they may fully participate in ecclesial life. Human promotion” and “evangelisation” are two complementary and inseparable elements for spreading the Kingdom of God, which is the kingdom of truth and of life, the kingdom of holiness and grace, the kingdom of justice, love and peace. Therefore, in pastoral activity carried out for Gypsies, humanitarian aid and the truth of the Gospel must go together hand in hand, and the elements of justice, brotherly love and equality should be part of them..
Among the final recommendations the participants say “The Church should make Gypsies’ anxieties and hopes its own, so that the Gospel may be experienced and proclaimed in a way that it is appropriate to their mentality and traditions”. They call for greater commitment from Bishops, especially regarding welcome and the creation of spaces for listening to Gypsies, as well as in preventing discriminination; they say gypsies must be involved more in the church, take on greater responsibility in the Church; Commitment and attention to ecclesial vocations should be stepped up, considering the importance of the presence of Gypsy priests, deacons and religious in this specific pastoral care; The number of places where Gypsies can express themselves and their faith should be increased;The “usual” program used in preparing for the sacraments should not be considered binding. A pastoral “continuation” would be far more desirable than sporadic monitoring; Pilgrimages and meeting opportunities must be promoted in order to dispel the still too common image that the Church is for gagé and that it is necessary to renounce one’s Gypsy identity to be a “good Christian”. A Eucharist on the ground can mean the presence of Christ at the heart of Gypsy life”; work to apply the Guidelines and lastly, Coordination of chaplains’ ministry for Gypsies with local parishes and at the local level must be improved. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 19/1/2007 - righe 40, parole 529)
