Sea Sunday: Seafarers and their families are not invisible to God and the Church
July 07, 2012: ‘Seafarers and their families are not invisible to the eyes of God
and the Church’ said Cardinal Antonio Maria Veglio, President of the Pontifical Council
for Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, in a message published on the
eve of the Sea Sunday, which will be celebrated today around the world. For over
ninety years the Apostolate of the Sea (AOS) recognizes their hard work, their difficulties
and sufferings and offer pastoral care through its chaplains and volunteers.
Through
the annual celebration of the Sea Sunday, it is hoped that the Christian communities
and society in general recognize first of all the people of the sea as human beings
who contribute to making our lives more comfortable, and then we give thanks for the
work and sacrifices", the message noted.
Before the advent of globalization,
the maritime industry has played an important role in the transport of consumer goods,
raw materials and finished products, as well as a large number of emigrants. This
is especially true today given the 90% of world trade moves by sea, and carry millions
of passengers in a pleasure trip aboard cruise ships.
The construction of new
ports away from the cities, the rapid turnover of ships and little time to go ashore,
ensure that seafarers are often invisible to society, unless the media does not speak,
for a short period of time, following an attack by pirates or a shipwreck. ‘We
consider the sea as a professional and qualified workforce, often working in very
dangerous situations, including stress pirate attacks and the unknown force of the
stormy waters. We note that the seamen do their job in very difficult conditions on
board vessels old and rusty, that they are victims of criminalization and neglect
and often happens that their salary is paid late even if not paid. Consider that
seafarers are members of a family forced to live away from their loved ones and friends
for many consecutive months, sharing the limited space of the ship with other crew
members of different nationalities. We must promote greater awareness of the importance
of providing them with protection against abuse and exploitation of more than 1.2
million seafarers of the world. The concluded the message with a renewed the invitation
to participate in the XXIII World Congress of the Apostleship of the Sea, which is
scheduled to be held in Vatican, from 19 to 23 November 2012, with the theme: The
new evangelization in the maritime world.