The Archbishop of Canterbury has announced that Archbishop Justin and Pope Francis back Anglican-Catholic anti-slavery and human trafficking initiative.
The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Pope Francis have given their backing to a ground-breaking ecumenical initiative to combat modern slavery and human trafficking.
The agreement to help eradicate an injustice affecting up to 29million people was co-signed on March 17th by the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Representative to the Holy See, Archbishop Sir David Moxon; the Chancellor of the Pontifical Academies of Science and Social Science, Bishop Sanchez Sorondo; Dr Mahmoud Azab on behalf of the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, Egypt; and Mr Andrew Forrest, the founder of the large international philanthropic anti-slavery organisation from Perth, Western Australia “Walk Free”.
The joint statement by the Global Freedom Network signatories, which underscores the searing personal destructiveness of modern slavery and human trafficking, calls for urgent action by all other Christian churches and global faiths. The Global Freedom Network is an open association and other faith leaders will be invited to join and support the initiative…
The Anglican Centre in Rome and the Vatican have issued press releases.
Major Faith Initiative to Combat Slavery
New Initiative by Global Faiths to Eradicate Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking by 2020
The second of these includes the text of the statement.
The initiative has attracted media attention around the world.
Tim Wyatt Church Times New interfaith body will tackle slavery
Christopher Baker and Helena Liu The Guardian Will Andrew Forrest convince Australia’s billionaires to open their wallets?
Robert Mickens, Mark Brolly and Liz Dodd The Tablet Faiths unite against human trafficking
James MacKenzie The Star (Malaysia) Muslim and Christian leaders unite to combat modern slavery
Stoyan Zaimov Christian Post Europe Catholics, Anglicans and Muslims Unite in Global Freedom Network Aimed at Eradicating Slavery
The Nation (Pakistan) Initiative by Global Faiths to Eradicate Modern Slavery, Human Trafficking by 2020
Peter Sherlock The Conversation The Global Freedom Network reminds us that with acts of faith comes responsibility
Sydney Morning Herald editorial Andrew Forrest’s inspiring role in fight against slavery
I do find this ironic. Modern day slavery is evil but back 200 years and you can find even the Bishop of London owning a slave plantation and justifying it biblically.
Today anti-gay rhetoric and corresponding inaction on the part of both Archbishop and Pope is justified biblically by some of their followers.
I’m so glad they’re doing this. I hope many of us will get involved with this somehow.
The interesting point will be the one at which a leading anti-slavery charity will refuse to work with them because of the anti-gay stance. It is noteworthy that the British Parliament will shortly pass a Modern Slavery Bill having in the same Parliament enacted Equal Marriage. Erika and CA are both absolutely right, of course.
Is nothing worthy of comment unless it is brought up against the plumb line of injustice to homosexuals?
Did you not read my comment, Rob?
Good on “Twiggy” Forrest
Rob—because the acknowledgment of the need for justice on one matter makes even more egregious the deliberate failure on the other. Even a stopped clock is right some of the time.
“Is nothing worthy of comment unless it is brought up against the plumb line of injustice to homosexuals?” “Rob—because the acknowledgment of the need for justice on one matter makes even more egregious the deliberate failure on the other. Even a stopped clock is right some of the time.” I can’t imagine that this issue is controversial, thus not a lot of writing on it. However, Turbulent Priest has a point. If the church fails miserably on justice for anyone, it blots their credibility on justice for others. The realpolitik part is that if the public perceives that the church… Read more »
@Rob
Injustice to one is injustice against all. You can’t fight the injustice of human trafficking, while ignoring the “injustice to homosexuals” (both evils arising from patriarchy and misogyny, I might add).
Yes, there is a plumbline: it’s always Jesus’s “least of these”. Whatever the oppressed group in the world—just add “and gay” to it, and there they are.