"Thanks to them he underlined humanity is enriched by a real cultural heritage" and "their lifestyle is after all a live proof of inner freedom, as opposed to the constraints of the consumer culture and the false certainties based on man’s assumed self-sufficiency". Among the signs of "positive development" in the gypsy world, cardinal Fumio Hamao pointed out "their growing desire of education and professional training, social and political awareness by establishing associations and parties, growing involvement in the local and national bodies of some countries, presence of women in social and civil life, increasing number of vocations". The document shows a wish for an evangelisation from within, through a process of "purification of cultures" which "does not mean draining" but which involves "some integration with the surrounding culture". And asks for "promotion of equal rights for men and women, by removing any form of discrimination". (to be continued)
