The Vatican has called for more tolerance of the world's Roma (Gypsy) population and is urging the church to take steps to attract them to Catholicism.
A new document issued Tuesday by the Vatican's office for migrants highlighted prejudices against Roma.
It noted how such hostility led to such atrocities as the Nazi genocide during World War II, where hundreds of thousands of Roma were murdered.
The church also said Roma have a duty to live within the law and called on them to give up activities that lead to what it calls "easy money."
The Vatican called on Catholic leaders to work to attract Roma. It described Roma as very religious people who are often attracted to other religious and sects.Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.