Pope mourns death of impoverished Roma children

February 14, 2011

During his midday audience on Sunday, February 13, Pope Benedict XVI mourned the death of four Roma (gypsy) children who were killed by a fire in a squatters’ shack on the outskirts of Rome.

The miserable circumstances in which the children lived and died, the Pope said, “force us to face the question whether a more united and fraternal society, more coherent in charity, in other words, more Christian, would not have been able to avoid this tragic event.” He observed that the tragedy was unfortunately not unique-- that similar incidents occur “almost every day in our cities.”

 

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Further information:

• Angelus: Pope Recalls Four Roma Children Who Died in Fire (VIS)