Pope and Anglican leader vow to fight trafficking together

Meeting shows deepening relationship between faiths.

Vatican City:  The ecumenical dialogue between Catholics and Anglicans proceeds under the sign of our shared commitment against human trafficking and modern slavery. This was emphasized by Pope Francis and the Anglican primate Justin Welby, received this morning in the Vatican for the second time since the almost contemporary beginning of their respective ministries.

The deepening of the theological dialogue continues and the division between Christians is a "scandal," said Jorge Mario Bergoglio, but compared to previous years, when on the throne of Peter sat Joseph Ratzinger and at Lambeth Palace there was Archbishop Rowan Williams, the emphasis seems to move to a response to more common social concerns.

"When we met for the first time, Your Grace," said the Argentine pontiff, "we talked about common concerns and our pain in view of the evils that afflict the human family.

In particular, we expressed the same horror before the scourge of human trafficking and the various forms of modern slavery.

I thank Your Grace for the commitment shown in opposing this intolerable crime against human dignity.

In this vast field of action, which appears in all its urgency, significant activities have been initiated in both the field of ecumenical cooperation and with civil authorities and international organizations.

Many charitable initiatives were born out of our communities and carried out with generosity and courage in various parts of the world.

"In particular I’m thinking of the network of action against trafficking in women created by a number of women's religious institutes. We are committed to persevere in the fight against new forms of slavery, believing that we can help give relief to the victims and combat this tragic trade. As disciples sent to heal the wounded world, I thank God who has made us able to build a common front against this very serious scourge, with perseverance and determination."

The Archbishop of Canterbury, for his part, said he was "grateful for the progress made thanks to the support of many to bring the world's attention to the ills of modern slavery and human trafficking". In particular, the Global Freedom Network, an agreement between the major religions against slavery and trafficking signed in March at the Vatican, "can achieve many objectives to dismantle what You so often rightly said is a serious crime against humanity."

Source: Vatican Insider