Synod to vote to protect Roma and Travellers from ‘institutional racism’
The Church of England is being urged to make land available for Roma and travelling communities who face institutional racism and ostracisation.

It may also appoint chaplains to provide pastoral care to Roma and Travellers, and to encourage them to become part of the church.

The governing body of the C of E, the synod will vote on a motion this weekend calling on bishops and other senior church figures to “speak out publicly against racism and hate crime directed against Roma, Irish Travellers, and urge the media to stop denigrating and victimising these communities”.

Local and national church bodies must “play their part in lobbying for and enabling  land to be made available” for sites for Roma and Travellers, says the motion proposed by Stephen Cottrell, bishop of Chelmsford.

In an unusual move, people from travelling communities will address synod directly at the start of the debate.

Link: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/22/church-of-england-urged-to-make-land-available-to-gypsies?CMP=share_btn_tw

In Belgium, Britain and some other European countries, members of the Hitler paramilitary Schutzstaffel (SS) continue to receive German pensions.

As NBC writes, it is about 27 former soldiers. The whole situation was revealed when four lawmakers in the Belgian parliament demanded a suspension of the payment of such pensions and screened evidence that they exist and are still paid.

But, as NBC adds, there are no irregularities on the legal side in terms of payments.

Namely, Germany has inherited an obligation from the Third Reich in respect of the payment of pensions to soldiers, as stated in a decree of 1941, signed by Hitler. This is Hitler's only decision that has legally remained in force after the Potsdam Conference in 1945.

The Belgian authorities do not know exactly whose citizens it is, because only the Germans have information about the identity.

Since there is no obligation for EU Member States to inform each other about cross-border payments on pensions, payment is made without taxation. Pensions for Hitler's soldiers are from 425 to 1275 euros.