Pope calls for a firm stand
against 'shameful crime' of human trafficking
Pope Francis on Sunday looked ahead to the World Day against
Trafficking in Persons, marked each year on 30 July, and said it is everyone’s
responsibility to take a stand against the shameful crime.
By Linda Bordoni
Pope Francis has appealed to all men and women
of goodwill to take responsibility, denounce injustice and stand firm against
the "shameful crime" of human trafficking.
Addressing the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square for
the Sunday Angelus, the Pope recalled that Monday, 30 July,
is World Day against Trafficking in Persons, promoted by the United
Nations.
“This scourge, he said, reduces many men, women and
children to slavery”.
It’s aim, he continued, is to exploit them for cheap labour,
for the sex trade, for the trade of organs, to force them to beg or to engage
in delinquency.
Francis also highlighted the fact that “the routes of
migration are also often used by traffickers and exploiters to recruit new
victims of trafficking”.
Pope Francis has repeatedly denounced human trafficking,
which is believed to claim 40 milliion victims worldwide, calling it a “crime
against humanity.”
The Church marks 8 February, the feast day of St
Josephine Bakhita, as the International Day of Prayer and Awareness
against Human Trafficking. The patron saint of Sudan’s life was a journey
from slavery to freedom and faith, and her life story inspires hope in the face
of indifference and exploitation.
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