Pope visit a sign of inclusion for Slovakia's excluded Roma
ABC News
Pope Francis is heading to the far east of Slovakia to meet with the country’s Roma people
KOSICE, Slovakia -- Pope Francis traveled to the far east of Slovakia on Tuesday to meet with the country’s Roma in a gesture of inclusion for the country's most socially marginalized minority group, who have long suffered discrimination and poverty.
Francis’ visit to the Lunik IX settlement in Kosice was one of the highlights of his four-day pilgrimage to Hungary and Slovakia. It's his first trip since undergoing intestinal surgery in July and marks the restart of his globetrotting papacy after a nearly two-year coronavirus hiatus.
Lunik IX is the biggest of about 600 shabby, segregated settlements where the poorest 20% of Slovakia’s 400,000 Roma live. Most lack basics such as running water or sewage systems, gas or electricity.
Even before the pope arrived, residents said Tuesday that something had already changed, both tangible and not.
