Jubilee of Roma, Sinti, and Travellers to be held on October 18

On Saturday, October 18, the Jubilee of Roma, Sinti, and Travellers will be held in Rome. Approximately 4,000 pilgrims from over 70 countries in Europe and around the world will take part. 

The Jubilee event is organized in collaboration with the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, the Migrantes Foundation (of the Italian Bishops’ Conference), the Sant'Egidio community, the Vicariate of the Diocese of Rome, and representatives of groups working in the pastoral care of the Roma and Sinti communities. 

At 10 am on Saturday October 18, pilgrims will gather in the Paul VI Hall for a meeting that will include testimonies, performances, music, and moments of prayer. The theme will be: "Hope is itinerant; my father and my mother were wandering Arameans" (cf. Deut 26:5). The event will be led by Maris Milanese, a TV2000 host, along with Eva Rizzin, of Sinti descent and scientific director of the National Observatory on Anti-Gypsyism in Verona, and Amadeus Giordan Halilovic, a university student at John Cabot University in Rome, with Roma roots who is involved in cultural and social projects aimed at explaining who the Roma people  really are. Performers from Italy, Romania, France, Spain, and Slovenia will take turns on stage. At mid-morning, the Holy Father, Leo XIV, will arrive in the Aula Nervi to meet with the Roma, Sinti, and Travelling people and pray with them.

Cardinal Fabio Baggio C.S., Undersecretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, and Msgr. Gian Carlo Perego, president of the Migrantes Foundation, will also be present, leading the prayer sessions. The event will conclude with a pilgrimage to the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica between 2-6 pm. 

On Sunday, October 19th at 10:30 am pilgrims will attend Mass at the Sanctuary of Divine Love, presided over by Cardinal Baggio with music from Roma and Sinti musicians. A moment of prayer will follow, dedicated to Blessed Ceferino Gimenez Malla, the first Roma martyr for the faith, executed in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War and thrown into a mass grave for defending a young priest.

The day will conclude with a celebration and lunch near the Shrine.