Leo XIV addressed the participants in the Jubilee of the Romani, Sinti, and itinerant peoples this Saturday, gathered in the Paul VI Hall under the theme “Hope walks: my father and my mother were wandering Arameans” (Dt 26,5).
In his speech, the Pontiff recalled the historic meeting of Saint Paul VI with these communities in 1965 and the continuity of the pastoral attention from his predecessors. Leo XIV exhorted those present to keep their faith and culture alive, to be witnesses of hope in a world that marginalizes them, and not to be discouraged by difficulties.
The Pope insisted that the Church recognizes in the poor and excluded a paradigm of Christian life, and asked the itinerant peoples to be “protagonists of the change of era” by sharing their faith, their culture, and their dignity with society. Finally, he thanked the pastoral work of those who accompany these communities and entrusted the path of the participants to the Virgin Mary.
We leave below the full speech of Pope Leo XIV
Dear brothers and sisters of the Romani, Sinti, and itinerant peoples, welcome!
O Del si tumentsa! May the Lord be with you!
You have come to Rome from all over Europe, and some even from outside Europe, as pilgrims of hope in this Jubilee. With your presence, you remind us that “hope is on the way,” the title of our meeting. Today we all feel renewed by the gift you bring to the Pope: your strong faith, your unwavering hope in God, your firm trust that does not surrender before the difficulties of a life often lived on the margins of society.
May the peace of Christ dwell in your hearts, brothers and sisters of the Romani, Sinti, and nomadic communities. And may that peace also dwell in the hearts of the many pastoral agents who are here today and walk tirelessly with you.
Today’s celebration comes sixty years after the first worldwide meeting that Saint Paul VI had with your communities in Pomezia, on September 26, 1965. As a witness to that event, the statue of the Virgin is here today, which the Pope himself crowned as “Queen of the Romani, Sinti, and travelers.” In these sixty years, meetings with my predecessors have been increasingly frequent, a sign of a living dialogue and special pastoral attention toward you, “the beloved portion of God’s pilgrim people.” Yes, God the Father loves you and blesses you, and the Church also loves you and blesses you.
You can be living witnesses of three fundamental things: trusting only in God, not clinging to earthly goods, and showing exemplary faith in works and words. Living this way is not easy: it is learned by accepting God’s blessing and letting it transform our heart. By its very nature, the Church is in solidarity with the poor, the excluded, the marginalized, and all those considered society’s refuse. In our hearts we must welcome this cry born of grace, and it is not the task of a few, but the mission of all.
For nearly a thousand years, you have been pilgrims and nomads in societies that have built unjust and unsustainable models of development. These “advanced” societies have often rejected you, always placing you on the margins: of cities, of rights, of education and culture. But precisely this model that marginalized you is the one that has created the greatest injustices of the last century: enormous economic inequalities, unprecedented financial crises, environmental catastrophes, and wars.
We, on the other hand, with faith in Christ, know that “the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” (Mt 21,42). Therefore, we feel stronger in the conviction that the values that the poor guard with dignity and pride are precisely the ones that can change the course of history. Your presence on the peripheries is a sign for all: humanity needs to change structures of sin to advance toward a more just and peaceful coexistence, in harmony with God, with creation, and among ourselves.
Benedict XVI told you in 2011: “You are a people that has not nurtured nationalist ideologies nor sought to dominate others.” Today too: free yourselves from every temptation of possession and every unjust attachment. Remain itinerant in the Spirit, poor in spirit, and thus you will be blessed. Your communities, in interaction with nature, have developed a cultural treasure marked by a strong sense of community. Do not be discouraged: by being closer to the condition of Christ, poor and humbled, you remind humanity of the paradigm of Christian life.
I invite you to believe in the saving beauty of your culture and in the witness you bear. In 2019, Pope Francis asked you to walk with dignity: the dignity of the family, of work, of earning daily bread, the dignity of the word and of prayer. May this dignity be your strength to break down walls of fear and distrust.
Today I repeat the invitation of my predecessors: be protagonists of the change of era, walk alongside other people of good will, overcome distrusts, make known the beauty of your culture, your faith, your prayers, and the fruit of your honest work.
I thank the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and the Migrants Foundation for their efforts in organizing this Jubilee. I invite all pastoral agents who accompany the Romani, Sinti, and itinerant peoples to renew their commitment, especially in the areas of education, vocational training, family pastoral care, liturgical and catechetical inculturation, and ecumenical and interreligious dialogue. I hope that every diocese dedicates adequate pastoral attention to these communities, for integral human growth.
Dear sisters and brothers, may this Jubilee strengthen your faith and hope, and give you courage to walk the path of the Gospel. May the Virgin Mary protect you and my blessing always accompany you.