Czech bishop lunches with the homeless, Romani representatives and senior citizens in Brno

Bishop Vojtěch Cikrle of Brno had lunch on 26 December with 170 homeless people, pensioners, and representatives of the Romani community. The Christmas event was convened by the Sant Egidio church community in the parish of the Church of St. Jakub in central Brno.  

This is the 10th time the lunch has been held there; by participating, the bishop wanted to show support for those whom the majority society forgets. "I don’t know whether you realize that we are doing well, above-average. There are people who have no homes, who have no loved ones, who have nothing to eat. Their concern is fighting for their bare lives," Cikrle told the Czech News Agency as to why he had decided to support the Sant Egidio community event.

Christmas lunches for the impoverished are held by the association worldwide, including in the cities of Olomouc and Prague in the Czech Republic. The bishop emphasized that during the Christmas holidays people should not celebrate the birth of Christ by themselves, including the homeless or senior citizens.

The bishop called on the public not to forget the main meaning of the Christmas holidays during the holiday rush. Cirkle toasted the health of each participant at the lunch, wishing each one the very best, giving them his blessing and singing carols with them.

He then joined them in a meal of beef broth and carp with potato salad. This year representatives of the Romani community were newly invited to the Christmas lunch, many of whom, according to organizers, suffer from the feeling that the mainstream society excludes them.