Pope holds out Indian bishop as example of vocations among Gypsies
(Vatican Radio) 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 from among them as case in ?point. ??“Today we have with us Bishop Devprasad Ganawa, a son of this people,” Pope Francis said, ?pointing ?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 7000 gypsies from around the world who on Monday 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. ?
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.