Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Roma (Agenzia Fides)- “We are really grateful to Pope Benedict XVI for including a powerful appeal for an end to slavery in his Message for the next World Day for Migrants and Refugees ” said Gianpiero Cofano of the Comunità Papa Giovanni XXIII, started by Rev. Oreste Benzi. Mr Cofano has been working for a long time in the field of emigration to end human trafficking, which uproots the poorest people most of them Africans from their countries luring them with false promises of a better life.
In his Message for the World Day for Migrants and Refugees on 13 January Pope Benedict XVI speaks of the suffering of young immigrants especially young women who are often without a family to support them. “ These boys and girls often end up on the street - he observes - abandoned to themselves and prey to unscrupulous exploiters who often transform them into the object of physical, moral and sexual violence”.
“This powerful appeal launched by the Holy Father is a challenge for the Catholic community” Mr Cofano told Fides. “There exist all kinds of praiseworthy initiatives to assist victims of the trafficking of women, who are then forced into prostitution, but few ask themselves how this sad phenomenon can be eradicated”.
“One of the last message Rev Oreste Benzi left us before he died ( 2 November 2007) was to denounce this ' assistance market': too many people thinking about their salary as a paid assistance worker, and giving no thought to how to eliminate the profound causes of sexual slavery. I wish to make it clear: I am working so that one day I will be redundant. My greatest ambition as an assistant to victims of trafficking of women is to make my job no longer necessary, because the phenomenon no longer exists. And this should be the ambition of every Catholic operator in this sector” conclude Cofano. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 29/11/2007 righe 20 parole 273)
