Religiosity of the Slovakian Roma

Abstract

Religiosity of the Romani has been shaped by their history, which occupies an important role in their social identity. It manifests itself in the dominant religion of the country they live in, whether Lutheran, Catholic, Orthodox, Muslim, or other. The aim of this article is to analyse and present religiosity of the Romani in Slovakia in terms of its basic parameters (faith and beliefs, religious knowledge, religious practice, opinions and moral behaviour). The article is based on the results of the social studies performed in 2018 by Reverend Martin Majda, a professor at the Institute of Theology at Catholic University in Ružomberok. The majority of the Romani in Slovakia belong to the Roman Catholic Church. Their religiosity can be characterised by a specific interpretation of the truths of the faith, e.g. a greater belief in God rather than in the last things. What is more, it bears the traits of folk religiosity, incorporating elements of individual beliefs and rituals, reflecting the Romanis’ ethnic origin. Although knowledge is not a sine qua non of identifying oneself with a particular faith, it correlates with religiosity and is worth studying. A great role is attributed to obligatory religious practices, realised on Sundays and during Holy Days, as they affect religiosity of the Romani. There is a diversity of opinions concerning religious morality. What is challenged are the norms of morality adhered to by married couples and families, especially the norms related to human sexuality.