Vatican City (AsiaNews) - " Human trafficking is an open wound on
the body of contemporary society, a scourge upon the body of Christ. It is a
crime against humanity".
The
statement made today by Pope Francis summarizes the aims and motivations of the
Second international conference on Combating Human Trafficking: Church and Law
Enforcement in Partnership (April 9-10, 2014), organized by the Catholic
Bishops' Conference of England and Wales.
The
Pope received participants in the meeting, describing it as "important".
But,
he added , "it is also a gesture: a gesture of the Church, a of people of
good will who want to scream 'Enough! The very fact of our being here to
combine our efforts means that we want our strategies and areas of expertise to
be accompanied and reinforced by the mercy of the Gospel, by closeness to the
men and women who are victims of this crime".
"Our
meeting today includes law enforcement authorities, who are primarily
responsible for combating this tragic reality by a vigorous application of the
law. It also includes humanitarian and social workers, whose task it is to
provide victims with welcome, human warmth and the possibility of building a
new life. These are two different approaches, but they can and must go
together. To dialogue and exchange views on the basis of these two
complementary approaches is quite important. Conferences such as this are
extremely helpful, and, I would say, much needed".
"I
believe - he concluded - that one important sign of this is the
fact that, one year after your first meeting, you have regrouped from
throughout the world in order to advance your common efforts. I thank you for
your readiness to work together. I pray that our Lord will assist you and that
Our Lady will watch over you".