No Longer Slaves . . .

The 2015 World Day of Peace Message of Pope Francis was released on Wednesday.  The theme is "No Longer Slaves, But Brothers and Sisters."  Click here to read the full text. Here's an excerpt in which Pope Francis discusses the efforts of religious congregations to end human trafficking and assist its victims:

"I would like to mention the enormous and often silent efforts which have been made for many years by religious congregations, especially women’s congregations, to provide support to victims. These institutes work in very difficult situations, dominated at times by violence, as they work to break the invisible chains binding victims to traffickers and exploiters. Those chains are made up of a series of links, each composed of clever psychological ploys which make the victims dependent on their exploiters. This is accomplished by blackmail and threats made against them and their loved ones, but also by concrete acts such as the confiscation of their identity documents and physical violence. The activity of religious congregations is carried out in three main areas: in offering assistance to victims, in working for their psychological and educational rehabilitation, and in efforts to reintegrate them into the society where they live or from which they have come" (n. 5).