In his message for the 11th International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking, Pope Francis on Friday encouraged the world to not lose hope in the belief that it is possible to eradicate the scourge of modern slavery.
“With the help of God, we can avoid becoming accustomed to injustice and ward off the temptation to think that certain phenomena cannot be eradicated,” he said in the message, released a day ahead of the Feb. 8 commemoration.
“The Spirit of the risen Lord sustains us in promoting, with courage and effectiveness, targeted initiatives to weaken and oppose the economic and criminal mechanisms that profit from trafficking and exploitation,” he continued.
The International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking coincides with the feast day of St. Josephine Bakhita, a woman kidnapped from her home country of Sudan and sold into slavery by Arab slave traders at the age of 7.
While in slavery, Bakhita endured beatings and torture. In her early 20s, she discovered Christ and the Church, and after she was freed from slavery was baptized into the Catholic faith. She later joined the Canossian Sisters in Italy.
In his message for the Vatican-supported day of prayer against trafficking, Pope Francis emphasized the importance of staying hopeful even in the face of the darkness of millions of people being trapped in modern slavery around the world.
“Where do we get new impetus to combat the trade in human organs and tissues, the sexual exploitation of children and girls, forced labor, including prostitution, drug, and arms trafficking? How do we experience all this in the world and not lose hope?” he said. “It is only by lifting our eyes to Christ, our hope, that we can find the strength for a renewed commitment.”
The pope added that the commitment against human trafficking and exploitation can “ignite flames of light, which together can illuminate the night until the dawn breaks.”
On the occasion of the International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking, Francis met with members of Talitha Kum, an international network of consecrated women devoted to helping victims of trafficking.
Speaking at his Santa Marta residence, the pope said all forms of human trafficking and sexual exploitation “are a disgrace and a very serious violation of fundamental human rights.”
He thanked Talitha Kum for its service, encouraging the organizations and individuals in the network “to continue to work together, making victims and survivors your primary concern, listening to their stories, caring for their wounds and enabling them to make their voices heard in society at large.”
“That is what it means to be ambassadors of hope, and it is my hope that during this jubilee year many others will follow your example,” he said.
In his message to the world, Pope Francis listed the many contributing factors to the complex phenomenon of trafficking, including wars, conflicts, famine, and climate change.
It requires a global response, strengthened by prayer, he said. “Together — trusting in the intercession of St. Bakhita — we can make a great effort and create the conditions for trafficking and exploitation to be banned and for respect for fundamental human rights to prevail, in fraternal recognition of common humanity.”
This article was originally published on Catholic News Agency.
