Vatican City: Pope Francis on Monday noted there was a strong growth in vocations to the priesthood and religious life from among the gypsy people, holding out an Indian bishop as an example.
“Today we have with us Bishop Devprasad Ganawa, a son of this people,” Pope Francis said, referring to the first bishop from among the gypsies appointed by Pope Benedict XVI to Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh, in 2009 and then to Udaipur, Rajasthan, in 2012.
The remark of Pope Francis came in his meeting with some 7,000 gypsies from around the world who on October27 ended a 4-day pilgrimage to Rome, to commemorate 50 years of the historic visit of Blessed Pope Paul VI to a gypsy camp in Pomezia, near Rome.
“Dear consecrated people, your brothers and sisters look up to you with trust and hope for your role and all you are able to do for reconciliation within society and the Church,” the Pope told the religious and priests from among the nomadic people. He urged them to accompany their people not only in their spiritual journey but also in their daily life with all their struggles, joys and preoccupations, reported Vatican Radio.
Noting that the nomadic people are subject to discrimination, Pope Francis said, “No one must feel isolated and no one is entitled to trample on the dignity and the rights of others.” adding, “Time has come to uproot secular prejudice, preconceived ideas and the reciprocal diffidence that are often at the base of discrimination, racism and xenophobia,” the Pope stressed.
The Pope’s meeting with Gypsies wore a carnival look with music and dance. At the end, the Pope crowned a statue of the Virgin Mary with Jesus.