His Holiness Pope Francis is calling on men and women around the world to join in the fight against human trafficking. He told a delegation of philanthropists and fundraisers of the Galileo Foundation at the weekend that it is every Christian’s duty to raise awareness of the plague of modern slavery.
As reported by Vatican news, John McCaffrey, President of the Galileo Foundation, and Theresa Clark, a philanthropist Member remarked that “We were born out of work that really began in the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.” Early on in his pontificate, His Holiness Pope Francis asked the Academy’s Chancellor, His Grace Bishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, to examine the questions of human trafficking, modern slavery, and the trafficking of organs, and to work to end these scourges. Mr. McCaffrey said the bishop then asked him to help raise funds for conferences and initiatives to raise awareness.
One of the Galileo Foundation’s goals, said Mr. McCaffrey, is to strengthen the institutional capacity at the heart of the Church, “so that it can carry out the mission of the Pope and mission of the Gospel.” Pope Francis encouraged the Foundation’s work during their private audience on Friday, he said, and invited them to bring joy into their work. Mr. McCaffrey said Catholic donors “love the Church and they want to help.”
