(ANS – Vatican City) – The year 2014 ended with a terrible death toll from the many wars, especially among children. Even so, at the forty-eighth World Day of Peace, celebrated yesterday, 1 January, the Pope reminded all people that we are "no longer slaves, but brothers and sisters."

In his message the Pope focuses on the "abominable phenomenon" of the "scourge of the exploitation of man by man." The Pope describes the many faces of slavery in the world today: the victims of slave-labour, migrants deprived of liberty, abused, detained in an inhumane way, blackmailed by employers; the sex slaves, child soldiers, victims of organ extraction, disguised forms of adoption, and those imprisoned by terrorists.

Slavery has many faces and a variety of causes, but its common root is the "sin that corrupts the heart of man." It is "the denial of the humanity of the other," treating the other as an object, a means and not an end.

Pope Francis urges mankind to defeat slavery with "common and comprehensive" action, through the "globalization of fraternity" to counter the "globalization of indifference" so prevalent in today's world. Institutions must act to prevent the crime of slavery, protect victims and prosecute those responsible, by adopting "just laws" and exercising "effective control".

In conclusion, the Holy Father reminds us that "God will ask each of us: What have you done to your brother?” (cf. Gen 4.9 to 10). He calls on everyone to keep in mind “the social responsibility of the consumer" because, as Benedict XVI wrote in Caritas in Veritate,"purchasing is always a moral act, as well as a financial one.” Pope Francis reminds us that we are all challenged by the phenomenon of human trafficking and by the sale of products produced through the exploitation of other people. Some turn a blind eye either through indifference or because it suits them. Others choose to get involved politically or through some small gesture, such as a greeting or a smile for those who are victims of slavery.

Towards the end of the message the Pope recalls the figure of St. Josephine Bakhita, herself a slave for years and later an exemplary witness of hope for the many victims of slavery. The message is available in its entirety on the Vatican website.

Published 02/01/2015