An online prayer marathon will take place next Monday on different time zones, starting in Asia and Oceania. Pope Francis is expected to release a message for the occasion. The prayer will be available on YouTube.
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – “An economy without human trafficking” is the theme of the 7th International Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking, which includes an online prayer marathon next Monday, 8 February.
The event will mobilise all those who want a world unshackled by a model that views the economy as more important than people, which is one of the real causes of trafficking.
The worldwide prayer will take place across various time zones, starting in Oceania and Asia at 10.10 am (Rome time, 9.10 am GMT). It will first touch Australia, Japan, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh , India, and Pakistan. Gradually, the rest of the world will follow. The highlight will come at 1.30 pm with a message from Pope Francis.
For the organising committee, the prayer marathon is an invitation to multiply and promote new economic experiences that oppose all forms of exploitation. It falls on an important date, the liturgical memory of Saint Bakhita, the slave who became a saint and a universal symbol of the Church's commitment to fight slavery.
The event was organised by the International Committee for the International Day, coordinated by Talitha Kum, together with the network of consecrated life against human trafficking of the International Union Superiors General (UISG), the Migrants and Refugees section of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Caritas Internationalis, the World Union of Catholic Women's Organisations, the Focolare Movement, and many other local organisations.
The prayer marathon will be streamed live on the International Day’s YouTube channel with translations in five languages. It will also be possible to support the event on social media via the official hashtag #PrayAgainstTrafficking Roma, 5 February 2021.