Human trafficking is a “crime against humanity,” because it denies the human dignity of the victim, seeing him or her only as a piece of merchandise to be used to enrich or give pleasure to another, Pope Francis said.
Human trafficking, “in its multiple forms, is a wound in the humanity of those who endure it and those who commit it,” the Pope said April 11, addressing the closing session of a Vatican conference.
The Migrants and Refugees Section of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development organized the conference April 8-11. The office brought together more than 200 bishops, priests, men and women religious, project coordinators, pastoral workers, representatives of Catholic organizations and foundations and trafficking experts from around the world to brainstorm and coordinate efforts to stop trafficking.
“Trafficking,” the Pope said, is “an unjustifiable violation of the victims’ freedom and dignity, which are integral dimensions of the human person willed and created by God. This is why it must be considered, without a doubt, a crime against humanity.”
Francis praised women religious, in particular, but also all Catholics working to stop human trafficking and assist the victims.
Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican’s foreign minister, told participants the crime of human trafficking “does not have borders. It violates human rights without discrimination,” ensnaring children, women and men around the globe. “It is inextricably linked to statelessness, conflict, misery, corruption, a lack of education as well as migration and smuggling.”
To read the complete article: https://www.ncronline.org/news/justice/francis-chronicles/human-trafficking-crime-against-humanity-pope-says