WCC NEWS: Roma genocide memorial observed by Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain

Photo: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great
Britain Press

On 8 August, following celebration of Divine Liturgy, a memorial service was held by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain for the repose of the souls of all Roma victims of the Holocaust, usually commemorated annually on 2 August.

The memorial was held at the Archdiocesan Chapel and presided over by Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain.

Hundreds of thousands of Roma, many of whom were Orthodox Christians, were targeted and suffered under the Nazi regime, along with the Jews and other marginalized communities. Over the centuries, the European Roma have been subjected to inhumane treatment by different ruling systems, and as of today they continue to suffer discrimination, injustice, and  marginalization throughout the world.

In 2015, the European Parliament declared 2 August the annual "European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day" to commemorate the 500,000 Roma – representing at least a quarter of their total population at that time – murdered in Nazi-occupied Europe.

Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace

Romani people seek “lives of decency, dignity, and justice” (News release 27/9/2018)