Pope to Apostleship of Sea: be the voice of seafarers

(Vatican Radio) At the General Audience Wednesday, Pope Francis had a special word of welcome for the Regional Coordinators of the Apostleship of the Sea who are meeting in Rome this week. In his brief remarks, Pope Francis called on those who work for the wellbeing of seafarers and the families to “be the voice of those workers who live far from their loved ones and face dangerous and difficult situations.”

The meeting in Rome comes under the sponsorship of the President of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants, Cardinal Antonio Maria Vegliò. Martin Foley, National Director for the Apostleship of the Sea in Great Britain, is among those attending this week’s meeting.

He tells Vatican Radio that the talks come out of the Apostleship’s 2012 World Congress in Rome. Some 400 delegates from around the world, including port chaplains, national directors and volunteers, gathered for that November event to reflect on their ministry to seafarers.

This week’s meeting will be the first time, Foley says, that the Regional Directors elected at that Congress have come together to reflect on the challenges to their ministry. In this interview, Foley explains that one of the chief issues they need to iron out will be how best to communicate…

Listen to Tracey McClure’s interview with Martin Foley: