Sea Sunday: Holy See calls
for the protection of the rights of seafarers
 |
| A man prepares fishing net along a road near the port area in Karachi, Pakistan |
In a message marking the annual celebration of ‘Sea Sunday’,
the Holy See calls for the protection of the rights of all people working at
sea.
By Linda Bordoni
Today is Sea Sunday. It’s a day set aside
each year to remember and pray for seafarers, their families and all who
support them.
Pope Francis marked the occasion with a tweet
saying that he is praying for seafarers and fishermen them and their families,
and encouraging every effort to protect and safeguard their human rights.
Cardinal Peter Turkson, Prefect of the Vatican
Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development issued a message
calling on “International Organizations together with proper government
authorities and the different players of the maritime world to renew their
efforts to protect and safeguard the rights of all people working at sea”.
The crucial role of seafarers in our lives
Highlighting the crucial role of seafarers in our daily
lives, thanks to whose work we receive most of the possessions we have in our
houses, “not to mention the fuel for our cars, the clothes we wear, and many
other items are all made in distant parts of the world and brought to us by
seafarers” Cardinal Turkson said it is proper that we pause for a moment to
reflect how important and crucial seafarers are for our comfort and well-being.
For this reason, he notes, in various Christian Churches
around the world the second Sunday of July is traditionally set aside as Sea
Sunday. A day in which “the faithful are requested to remember and
pray for the 1.5 million seafarers who criss-cross the oceans and the seas,
transporting almost 90% of goods from one nation to another”.
Seafarers live lives of challenges and hardships
Cardinal Turkson remarked on how for months at a time,
seafarers live in confined spaces, away from their families and loved
ones and deal with issues such as delayed salaries, tough working conditions,
the threat of piracy and even terrorist attacks.
He said that in the case of maritime accidents, seafarers
are often criminalized and detained without effective legalprotection and
the benefit of fair treatment, and noted that “in a precarious mix of
nationalities, cultures and religions the opportunities to interact socially
with reduced number of crewmembers on board have diminished,” while “isolation
and depression, combined with a lack of a supportive environment, affects the
mental health of seafarers, sometimes with tragic and heartbreaking
consequences for their families, crewmembers and ship-owners”.
Conventions and legislation
While acknowledging that ratification and implementation of
several international Conventions and legislation have improved working and
living conditions on board a great number of commercial vessels, the Cardinal
says that there are many cases in which “unscrupulous ship owners take
advantage of less stringent enforcement of the law”.
Appeal for protection of rights
Cardinal Turkson goes on to reiterate his call “on
International Organizations together with proper government authorities and the
different players of the maritime world to renew their efforts to protect and
safeguard the rights of all people working at sea”.
He also offers encouragement to the chaplains and volunteers
of Stella Maris/Apostleship of the Sea, urging them to “be vigilant and
approach each seafarer and fisherman with the same committed spirit that
animated the pioneers of our ministry when almost hundred years ago, on 4th October
1920, they decided to revive and restructure the widespread ministry of the
Catholic Church for the people of the sea”.
Speak the language of Christian love
“In the faces of seafarers from different nations,” he says,
“I invite you to recognize the face of Christ in your midst. In the confusion
of languages, I recommend you to speak the language of Christian love that
welcomes everyone and excludes no one.”
And quoting from Pope Francis, the Cardinal says:
Confronted with abuses, I urge you not be afraid to denounce injustices
and advocate “to work together to build the common good and a new humanism
of work, to promote work that respects the dignity of the person who does not
only look at profit or production needs but promotes a dignified life knowing
that the good of the people and the good of the company go hand in hand.”
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