Religion as a path to change? The Possibilities of Social Inclusion of the Roma in Slovakia

This study provides, for the first time, a detailed overview of the work of large, small, registered and non-registered churches and religious movements among the Roma in Slovakia. It also outlines their possibilities and effectiveness related to the social inclusion of Roma. At the global level, pastoral outreach among the Roma cannot substitute state programmes aimed at the inclusion of Roma into the society. However, an extensive academic research in Slovakia showed that missionary work, along with other state programmes, can be viewed as a potentially extraordinarily effective social tool (considering the relation between the spent financial resources and the final effect of change).