Catholics called to pray for victims of human trafficking
(Vatican Radio) Catholics in England and Wales are being invited to pray for all victims
of human trafficking on February 8th, the Feast Day of Sudanese slave girl,
Saint Josephine Bakhita.. In announcing the initiative, the bishops of England
and Wales note that human trafficking now ranks as the second most profitable worldwide
criminal enterprise after the illegal arms trade. They add that the practical response
of the Church and its charities, led mainly by women religious, is to raise awareness
and to provide help and support for the most vulnerable victims.
St Josephine
Bakhita is the Sudanese saint who at the age of nine was kidnapped and sold into slavery.
She suffered terribly at the hands of her kidnappers, so much so that she forgot her
birth name. Her kidnappers gave her the name ‘Bakhita’ which means ‘Fortunate’. At
the age of 35 she was bought by the Italian Consul and was eventually brought to Italy
where she was entrusted to the care of the Canossian Sisters in Venice. It was there
that she came to know and experience God’s love. She became a Catholic in 1890
and made her final profession as a Canossian Sister in 1896. For the next fifty years
she led a life of simplicity, prayer and service (especially as the doorkeeper in
the convent,) always showing kindness to everyone especially the children in the street.
In her final years she suffered from sickness and the haunting memories of the
beatings and floggings she received whilst in slavery. She died in 1947 and was canonized
in October 2000.
The bishops of England and Wales decided to initiate a Day
of Prayer for the Victims of Trafficking on her feast day during their last plenary
meeting, during which they heard from a top Metropolitan Police officer dealing with
the problem of trafficking in the UK. The president of the bishiops' conference, Archbishop
Vincent Nichols of Westminster, told us the police view the Church as a vital partner
in the struggle against this modern form of slavery……