Hindu statesman Rajan Zed (right) and Rabbi Jonathan Freirich.
Hindus and Jews have applauded His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI for finally embracing Gypsies (Roma), who they said were facing apartheid in Europe.
On June 11 afternoon, Pope Benedict reportedly received two thousand European Gypsies at Vatican City, and addressing them, he recalled their bitter rejection, sorrow, persecution, pain, homelessness, etc. “Your people must never again be the object of abuse, rejection, or disdain!” Pope added.
Hindu statesman Rajan Zed and Rabbi Jonathan B. Freirich, prominent Jewish leader in Nevada and California in USA; in a statement issued in Nevada today, welcoming Pope’s highlighting of Gypsies’ sufferings, stressed that Pope should come out more openly and strongly backing the 15-million Gypsies who were facing apartheid conditions right under his nose in Europe.
Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, and Rabbi Freirich were, however, critical of Pope using Gypsies for his own/Church’s agenda. Pope reportedly told them during this meeting that they are also “called to participate actively in the Church’s mission of evangelisation, promoting pastoral outreach in communities”.
Rajan Zed and Jonathan Freirich argued that maltreatment of European Gypsies was shocking, reprehensible, hazardous and immoral. Being the most powerful religious leader in the world, it was the Pope’s moral obligation to make efforts to stop the frequent human rights violations suffered by them. Pope should openly and unconditionally embrace the Gypsies’ cause and come up with a White Paper on their plight. Hindu Zed and Jewish Freirich offered help to Pope, if asked, to support the Gypsies’ cause.
Zed and Rabbi Freirich further said that the alarming condition of European Gypsies was a social blight for Europe and the rest of the world as they reportedly regularly faced awful treatments too numerous to list.
Details of the picture attached: Hindu statesman Rajan Zed (right) and Rabbi Jonathan Freirich.
