Germany: Mgr. Hesse (Bishops’ Conference), “the Church has declared war on all forms of modern slavery”

To mark the European Day against Trafficking in Human Beings, which will be celebrated tomorrow, Tuesday, 18 October, Mgr. Stefan Hesse, Archbishop of Hamburg and head of the Committee for Migrants of the German Bishops’ Conference (DBK), said that the Church is facing a real challenge in this field. “Pope Francis has set out clearly what we are expected to do – ‘we should not tolerate that the image of the living God is subject to the most atrocious trade’ – since there is no doubt: the Church has declared war on all forms of modern slavery”. The Archbishop also thanked the staff of ecclesial organisations providing social assistance and those religious associations which are dedicated to the victims of human trafficking: “when we Christians address the problem of human trafficking, we should see it from the victim’s point of view. How can we help these people to get free from this situation? How can we contribute to healing their psychological wounds? How can we help them to integrate into society? Mgr. Hesse also called on the world’s community “not to look the other way when the victims of exploitation and slavery seek protection”. On 26-27 October, the Archbishop of Hamburg will attend the meeting of the Santa Marta Group at the Vatican which brings together clergymen and representatives of the police from 30 countries to discuss the strategies to counter human trafficking and protect the victims.