Pope welcomes Romanies and Travellers to Vatican

Romani and Traveller representatives from 20 European countries gathered in the Vatican this past weekend to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Zefirino Giménez Malla, a Gitano Romani hero and the Gypsy known as 'El Pele'.

What marked Saturday's visit out from other Gypsy pilgrimages, though, is that the pilgrims who came in the name of El Pele were invited to the Vatican by Pope Benedict XVI himself.

It is 75 years since Giménez Malla gave his life to save a Catholic priest during the Spanish Civil War, an heroic act for which he is famous among the Gitanos of Spain, and for which he has been beatified or 'blessed' by the Catholic Church, leaving him a single step short of sainthood.

It was in the years following the death of El Pele, however, that the already downtrodden Romanies of Europe were to experience the darkest period of their history as a people.

Though nobody knows exactly how many Sinti and Roma perished in the death camps of the Nazis, and outside them at the hands of the Waffen SS, the figure could be as high as 1,500,000.

In 2011, though, the Pope is urging Europe to lose the shackles of racism that have plagued it for centuries, and kept communities of Romanies and ethnic Travellers out of society since the Middle Ages.

The Pope used El Pele's name as focus for new hope for Gypsy people. “Blessed Zefirino invites you to follow his example and shows you the way … and this will make you strong,” he said, as people from seven different tribes of Europe's nomads listened.

Roma from Eastern Europe arrived for the special service, side by side with Sinti and Manouche people from Central Europe. Kalé, Romanichel and Zingari Gypsies stood shoulder to shoulder with Irish Travellers and Yenish Travellers from the Swiss and German territories.

The Pope and his entouraged looked on as troupes of Romani girls performed traditional dances in flowing costumes and cheers and applause from the 2000 Gypsies and Travellers present echoed around the Papal Audience Chamber of the Vatican.

Among those present was Austrian Romani woman Ceija Stojka, who was sent to Auschwitz as a 9-year-old before being moved to the Nazi camps at Ravensbrück and Bergen-Belsen. She spoke of being born into a family with 200 members, only six of whom would survive the Holocaust that is called O Porraimos, the devouring, in Romani.

“The European consciousness cannot forget all the pain!” said the Pope.
“Never again will your people be subjected to harassment, rejection and contempt! For your part, always seek justice, the rule of law, reconciliation and try to never be the cause of another’s suffering!”

Europe's Romanies and Travellers can only hope that the words of the Pope, a distinguished theologian formerly known as Joseph Ratzinger, will be proven true. The recent renewal of France's quest to blame Roma children for all French street crime, however, would seem to suggest there is much to be done to end the systematic targeting of Gypsies by politicians across Europe.

A Romani girl receives a blessing from Pope Benedict XVI (image: Yahoo News)

The Pope and his entourage look on as a troupe performs traditional Roma dancing (image: Rome Reports)