The Pontifical Council for Migrants has released a 30-page document on pastoral care for gypsies, noting with regret that nomadic peoples are especially vulnerable to the appeal of sects, and often marginalized by society.
"Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of Gypsies" provides an overview of the Church's relations with the nomadic peoples, outlines the problems they face, and forcefully emphasizes that the Church is committed to their spiritual and material welfare. The document is signed by Cardinal Stephen Fumio Hamao and Archbishop Agostino Marchetto: the president and secretary, respectively, of the Pontifical Council for Migrants.
What do the Vatican and Cher have in common? They're both sympathetic to gypsies (link to Yahoo! encyclopedia entry about gypsies):
I was born in the wagon of a travelin' show
My mama used to dance for the money they'd throw
Papa would do whatever he could
Preach a little gospel, sell a couple bottles of
doctor good
Chorus
Gypsies, tramps and thieves
We'd hear it from the people of the town
They'd call us gypsies, tramps and thieves
But every night all the men would come around
And lay their money down
Picked up a boy just south of Mobile
Gave him a ride, filled him with a hot meal
I was sixteen, he was twenty-one
Rode with us to Memphis
And papa woulda shot him if he knew what he'd done
Chorus
I never had schoolin' but he taught me well
With his smooth southern style
Three months later, I'm a gal in trouble
And I haven't seen him for a while
I haven't seen him for a while
She was born in the wagon of a travelin' show
Her mama had to dance for the money they'd throw
Grandpa'd do whatever he could
Preach a little gospel, sell a couple bottles of doctor good
Chorus
According to my web research, there are 10-12 million gypsies in the world. They're still nomadic, after all these years. I understand the persecution, but I gotta believe the moving way of life is their choice. Of all the people in the world, why do these people continue to live on the road?
I found this possible answer in a LA Times story from earlier this year: "The people known as Gypsies have preserved traditions that emphasize separation from mainstream societies, which they consider to be corrupting. Many do not send their children to school or work alongside non-Gypsies."
The article, by the way, is interesting. It talks about police investigators whose job is to stop gypsy crime. Gypsies= thieves. Unjust stereotype? These police officers apparently don't think so, though others think it's just horrible profiling.
