Vatican City, 3 February 2015 (VIS) –
This morning a press conference was held in the Holy See Press Office
to present the first International Day of Prayer and Awareness
against Human Trafficking. The Day will be held on 8 February, the
feast day of Sudanese slave St. Josephine Bakhita who, after being
freed, became a Canossian Sister and was canonised in 2000, and will
be entitled: “A light against human trafficking”. The Day is
promoted by the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants
and Itinerant Peoples, the Pontifical Council “Justice and Peace”
and the International Union of Superiors General (UISG).
The conference was attended by Cardinal
Joao Braz de Aviz, prefect of the Congregation for the Institutes of
Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life; Cardinal
Antonio Maria Veglio, president of the Pontifical Council for the
Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples; and Cardinal Peter
Kodwo Appiah Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council “Justice
and Peace”. The other speakers were Sister Carmen Sammut, MSOLA,
president of the International Union of Superiors General; Sister
Gabriella Bottani, SMC, coordinator of Talitha Kum (the International
Network of Consecrated Life against Trafficking in Persons); Sister
Valeria Gandini, SMC; and Sister Imelda Poole IBVM, coordinator of
the European Talitha Kum network.
Cardinal Turkson, speaking in English,
reiterated that “millions of people today – children, women and
men of all ages – are deprived of freedom and are forced to live in
conditions akin to slavery. For those who cry out – usually in
silence – for liberation, St Josephine Bakhita is an exemplary
witness of hope. We, victims and advocates alike, could do no better
than be inspired by her life and entrust our efforts to her
intercession”.
He continued, “the Holy Father
invites us all to recognise that we are facing a global phenomenon
which exceeds the competence of any one community or country. In
order to eliminate it, we need a mobilisation comparable in size to
that of the phenomenon itself”. The prelate explained that the
International Day against Human Trafficking constitutes “a
mobilisation of awareness and prayer on a global scale. Our awareness
must expand and extend to the very depths of this evil and its
farthest reaches … from awareness to prayer … from prayer to
solidarity … and from solidarity to concerted action, until slavery
and trafficking are no more”.
On the occasion of this first day of
prayer and reflection, all dioceses, parishes, associations, families
and individuals are invited to reflect and pray in order to cast
light on this crime, as indicated by the theme of the initiative. In
addition, prayer vigils will be held in different countries,
culminating in the Angelus prayer in St. Peter's Square on 8
February.
On the day, the faithful are invited to
recite the following prayer:
“O God, when we hear of children and
adults
deceived and taken to unknown places
for
purposes of sexual exploitation, forced
labour, and
organ ‘harvesting’, our hearts are
saddened and
our spirits angry that their dignity
and rights are
ignored through threats, lies, and
force.
We cry out against the evil practice of
this modern
slavery, and pray with St. Bakhita for
it to end.
Give us wisdom and courage to reach out
and
stand with those whose bodies, hearts
and spirits
have been so wounded, so that together
we may
make real your promises to fill these
sisters and
brothers with a love that is tender and
good.
Send the exploiters away empty-handed
to be
converted from this wickedness, and
help us all to
claim the freedom that is your gift to
your
children. Amen”.
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