Pope Francis: Human Trafficking, an open wound on society

April 10, 2014: “Human trafficking is an open wound on the body of contemporary society, a scourge upon the body of Christ. It is a crime against humanity”: These were the strong words that Pope Francis addressed to participants at the Conference on Combating Human Trafficking Thursday.

The conference is the brainchild of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales in collaboration with the UK Police Force and was hosted by the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences. Thanking Card. Vincent Nichols, the Pope noted that the meeting also draws on the expertise of law enforcement authorities, who he said: “are primarily responsible for combating this tragic reality by a vigorous application of the law”.

But- continued Pope Francis - “it also includes humanitarian and social workers, whose task it is to provide victims with welcome, human warmth and the possibility of building a new life. These are two different approaches, but they can and must go together”.

“To dialogue and exchange views on the basis of these two complementary approaches is quite important. Conferences such as this are extremely helpful, and, I would say, much needed,” he added.