Tag Archives: Religion

Hungary News Eastern Europe

Pilgrimage in Hungary

Published by:

Pilgrimage in Hungary

Hungarian Roma, also known as Cigany, participated in an annual religious pilgrimage to a Virgin Mary shrine spring in Csatka, Hungary, on September 12, 2026.

The event highlights the cultural and religious practices of the Roma community in Hungary.

The pilgrimage is a significant occasion for the community, emphasizing their traditions and beliefs.

Austria News Western Europe

Travellers and Religion

Published by:

Travellers and Religion

Over 200 caravans are gathered in Ried im Innkreis, Austria, for a summer holiday organized by the free Christian church association Jeschua, attracting travelers from various German states.

The two-week event, themed “Traveling with God,” includes daily worship services in a large tent church, fostering a sense of community among participants, many of whom have roots in Austria or Germany.

Pastor Karl Schmidt highlights the challenges of discrimination faced by the Sinti and Roma communities, while emphasizing the importance of understanding individual groups rather than generalizing based on negative stereotypes.

News Eastern Europe Serbia

Serbian Roma Mufti

Published by:

Serbian Roma Mufti

The Islamic Community of Serbia has appointed Alija ef. Dermaku, an imam from Bujanovac, as the first mufti for the Roma community in Serbia and the diaspora.

Dermaku’s role will encompass overseeing Roma Muslims both in Serbia and abroad, reflecting his long-standing involvement with the community and understanding of their culture.

This appointment is significant as it marks a shift in representation for Roma Muslims within the Islamic Community of Serbia, highlighting the community’s presence in various regions, including northern Kosovo. This latter statement is far from anodine and is politically loaded. Northern Kosovo Roma – mostly Gurbeti – while predominantly moslem, are more related to their other Gurbeti brethren in further South than any others in Serbia proper.

Austria News Western Europe

Mariazell

Published by:

Mariazell

The Roma and Sinti have a long-standing tradition of pilgrimage to Mariazell, which was interrupted by the Nazis in 1938 but has been revived since 1996, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.

The pilgrimage serves as a cultural expression for the Roma community, featuring a bilingual mass in German and Burgenlandromani, promoting inclusion for both Roma and non-Roma participants.

Youth involvement is significant, with Roma children and teenagers contributing to the event, and this year’s theme focused on peace in light of current international events.

News Eastern Europe Serbia

Protestantism

Published by:

Protestantism

A book by sociologist Dragan Todorović discusses the spread of Protestantism among the Roma community in southeastern Serbia and its societal impacts.

The research highlights how religious changes can influence education, family dynamics, women’s status, solidarity, and community involvement among Roma.

The event at the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts emphasizes the importance of recognizing Roma’s personal choices and identities beyond stereotypes of poverty and discrimination.

Austria News Western Europe

Mariazell

Published by:

Mariazell

The 30th pilgrimage of Roma, Sinti, and Lovara from Austria and other European countries took place at the Basilica of Mariazell, led by Bishop Franz Scharl, who emphasized faith in Jesus Christ during the service.

The mass featured songs in Romanes and German, performed by a mixed group of Roma and non-Roma musicians, symbolizing friendship and unity, with children creating a special pilgrimage candle focused on peace.

The pilgrimage has a long tradition, interrupted in 1938, and resumed in 1996 after the official recognition of the Roma community in Austria, with an estimated 40,000 to 80,000 Roma and Sinti living in the country today.

News Eastern Europe Serbia

Roma and Religion

Published by:

Roma and Religion

A new scientific study by sociologist Dragan Todorović explores the religious identity of Roma in Serbia, focusing on the growth of Protestant communities among them.

The study highlights the impact of religious changes on the daily lives, education, family relations, and social integration of the Roma community, particularly in southern Serbia.

Participants in the book promotion emphasized the importance of understanding the relationship between religion and social development to improve public policies for the vulnerable Roma community.

Italy News Western Europe

Burial

Published by:

Burial

More than two hundred members of the Padua Sinti community gathered on Saturday, January 10, in the center of Noventa Padovana to participate in the burial ceremony of one of their relatives. Giamaica Rajar, a 53-year-old woman from the Via Serenissima community, passed away on January 8. The ceremony had a particularly folkloric character: from the pink coffin, to the lighting of smoke bombs, to the presence of a large crucifix made entirely of balloons. A well-attended ceremony, which drew numerous community members and onlookers to the streets of the town.

News Eastern Europe Poland

All Saints Day in Poland

Published by:

All Saints Day in Poland

A Polish article on all saints day customs among Polish Roma. Roma celebrate All Saints’ Day differently from Poles, focusing mainly on gatherings at gravesides. “We drink, play music, sing, talk, and tell stories about our deceased loved ones,” Bogdan Trojanek, a Roma singer, leader, and founder of the band Terne Roma told journalists.

Europe Italy News Western Europe

Roma Jubilee in Rome

Published by:

Roma Jubilee in Rome

Many articles about the Jubilee of Sinti, Roma, and Travellers in Rome.

Italy News Western Europe

Rome and Roma

Published by:

Rome and Roma

On the occasion of the Great World Jubilee of Roma and Sinti, scheduled for October 18, 2025, a musical event will be held in the morning of the Paul VI Hall (Nervi Hall) in the Vatican: a concert in honour of Pope Leo XIV. The chosen soloists for the performance are Abruzzo musicians Gennaro Spinelli (solo violin) and Santino Spinelli (solo accordion), accompanied by the European Peace Orchestra (including: Marco Bartolini, first violin; Rebecca Covaciu, second violin; Marco Ciaffarini, viola; Giulia Spinelli, cello; Gualtiero Lamagna, guitar; Evedise Spinelli, harp; Federico Binetti, percussion; and Roxana Ene, vocals). The event, broadcast worldwide, will feature Roma and Sinti people from around the world.

Italy News Western Europe

Jubilee in Rome

Published by:

Jubilee in Rome

The Jubilee of Roma, Sinti, will be celebrated on Saturday, October 18th with a major event scheduled in the Paul VI Hall in the Vatican. 3’5000 people are expected.

On Saturday, October 18, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., a meeting with Pope Leo XIV will be held. According to the Dicastery for Integral Human Development, the meeting will “profess the profound faith of the Roma, and Sinti, but it will also be an opportunity to celebrate a people, their living culture, and to honour their memory.”

Czech Republic Italy News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

The Catholic Church and Roma

Published by:

The Catholic Church and Roma

A Roma delegation from the Czech Republic led by Karel Karika, Chairman of the Czechoslovak Roma Union, today attended a general audience with Pope Leo XIV in St. Peter’s Square. Representatives of the Roma community delivered an exceptional message to the Holy Father: They requested the symbolic lifting of the excommunication of Roma from the Catholic Church, which was declared in 1427 and not abrogated to this day!

Pope Leo XIV also signed a Romanes translation of the Bible during a personal meeting with a Roma delegation from the Czech Republic.

Italy News Western Europe

Italy and Roma

Published by:

Italy and Roma

Cardinal Domenico Battaglia, Archbishop of Naples, last Saturday morning in a lecture to workers engaged in pastoral care for Roma, Sinti, and Caminanti, gathered in the Campania capital for their annual meeting said that Pastoral care for Roma and Sinti requires “recognizing the dignity of those who live with pauses and restarts, dismantling the prejudice that confuses mobility and suspicion, moving from a ‘integration’ that unifies to an alliance that values ​​languages, crafts, music, and extended family.”

Well, the catholic church doesn’t have a good track record of caring for Roma …

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Roma in Maribor

Published by:

Roma in Maribor

According to the article, the Maribor Roma community is specific, as it is largely Muslim and therefore, according to some sources, even more introverted and patriarchal, and the Roma women in it are doubly underprivileged.

No comments, but this is pandering to stereotypes.

rroma.org
en_GBEN
de_DEDE fr_FRFR en_GBEN