A Rom is a member of the group of
people called Roma. The Roma have
traditionally been nomads, moving from
place to place. They originally came
from northern India. Today most Roma
live in Europe, especially the Czech
Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia,
Montenegro, Bulgaria, and Romania.
There are about 8 to 10 million Roma
in Europe. Roma are also known as
Gypsies.
Children enjoy in-line roller skating. They
wear helmets and pads for protection from
injury.
Roma play music and dance at a festival in
the Czech Republic.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Rom 81
The Rom language is called Romany.
Romany is based on Sanskrit, the
ancient language of India. Roma also
usually speak the main language of the
country in which they live.
Not all Roma are nomads. Some have
settled in cities and blended in with the
population. The Roma who are nomads
travel together in small bands. Some
travel by car and sleep in tents or trailers
at night. A few still travel and live in
caravans, or horse-drawn wagons. Sometimes
traveling Roma live for a while in
houses, apartments, and even empty
stores.
Nomadic Roma usually hold jobs that
fit in with their wandering lifestyle.
Some modern Roma make money by
fortune-telling, playing music, or selling
used cars and trailers. In the past Roma
sold livestock and helped farmers with
animal care. They also repaired pots,
pans, and other metal products.
Roma first traveled beyond northern
India in about the year 1000. They
moved into Persia (Iran) and Armenia.
They reached eastern Europe by the
1300s and western Europe by the 1400s.
By the second half of the 1900s Roma
had spread to North America, South
America, and Australia. At times Roma
have been mistreated or even killed just
because of their ethnic background.
Today some countries are working to
improve conditions for Roma.
#More to explore
Nomad
Roman
Catholicism
Roman Catholicism is the oldest and
largest branch of Christianity. There are
more than 1 billion Catholics worldwide.
The Roman Catholic church is led
by the pope. The pope rules the church
from Vatican City, which is a separate
country inside Rome, Italy.
Beliefs and Practices
Like all Christians, Catholics base their
beliefs on the Christian Bible. For
example, they believe that Jesus was the
son of God. Roman Catholics also
believe that Mary, the mother of Jesus, is
a very important holy person. Unlike
Protestant Christians, Catholics pray to
Mary. Catholics also pray to a number
of saints. Saints are men and women
who did great deeds to support the
Catholic church.
Roman Catholics generally attend a
service called Mass on Sunday mornings.
The Roma are
the largest
minority group
in Europe.
A Roman Catholic priest holds up bread
and wine during a Mass. Roman Catholics
eat bread and drink wine during a ritual
called Communion.
82 Roman Catholicism BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Catholics also perform rituals, or special
signs of their faith, called sacraments.
One sacrament is Communion. During
a Mass a priest blesses bread. Catholics
believe that the bread then turns into
Jesus’ body. At Communion Catholics
eat the bread.
History
The history of the Roman Catholic
church goes back to the beginning of
Christianity about 2,000 years ago. After
Jesus’ death, Christianity spread
throughout the Middle East and
Europe. At that time the Roman Empire
ruled these regions. At first the Romans
had their own religion, and they often
mistreated Christians. But in the AD
300s the Romans made Christianity
their main religion.
The western part of the Roman Empire
was conquered in the 400s, but Christianity
stayed strong. The city of Rome
remained the center of the church. The
leaders of the church gained more and
more power. They came to be known as
bishops. Eventually the bishop of Rome
gained the title of pope. He became the
head of the entire church. Today a special
group of bishops called cardinals
elects the pope.
After the western part of the Roman
Empire came to an end, the eastern part
continued as the Byzantine Empire. The
bishops there began to disagree with the
popes. Finally the eastern and western
parts of the church split in 1054. The
eastern part became the Eastern Orthodox
churches. The western part became
the Roman Catholic church.
The Roman Catholic church was the
most powerful organization in western
Europe for hundreds of years. At times,
however, more than one person claimed
to be the pope. From 1378 to 1417
there were rival popes at Rome and Avignon,
France. This period was called the
GreatWestern Schism.
In the 1500s people who disagreed with
church teachings began to form new
Christian churches. This movement was
called the Protestant Reformation.
Meanwhile European explorers and settlers
brought Roman Catholicism to the
Americas. Catholic missionaries (people
working to spread their religion) also
helped to spread Roman Catholicism
around the world.
#More to explore
Bible • Christianity • Pope • Rome,
Ancient
Worshippers attend mass at a Roman
Catholic church in South Africa. In the late
20th century the church gained many new
followers in Africa, Latin America, and
parts of Asia. By the early 21st century
