Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
February 01, 2010

Members of the Canadian bishops' justice and peace commission have called for prayers for victims of human trafficking, noting that they expect it to be a problem at the Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, to be held from Feb. 12 to 28. A pastoral letter issued on Jan. 26 said major sporting events often see "systems put in place to satisfy the demand for paid sex." "As pastors of the Catholic Church in Canada, we denounce human trafficking in all its forms, whether it is intended for forced labor (domestic, farm or factory work) or for sexual exploitation (whether it be prostitution, pornography, forced marriages, strip clubs, or other)," the bishops wrote. "We invite the faithful to become aware of this violation of human rights and the trivialization of concerns about prostitution." The bishops urged Catholics to become aware of human trafficking, so "we can share in the suffering of the victims and change the behaviors and mentalities that foster institutionalized violence in this new form of slavery."

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

I use a motorized wheelchair and communication device because of my disability, cerebral palsy. Parishes were not prepared to accommodate my needs nor were they always willing to recognize my abilities.
Margaret Anne Mary MooreNovember 22, 2024
Nicole Scherzinger as ‘Norma Desmond’ and Hannah Yun Chamberlain as ‘Young Norma’ in “Sunset Blvd” on Broadway at the St. James Theatre (photo: Marc Brenner).
Age and its relationship to stardom is the animating subject of “Sunset Blvd,” “Tammy Faye” and “Death Becomes Her.”
Rob Weinert-KendtNovember 22, 2024
What separates “Bonhoeffer” from the myriad instructive Holocaust biographies and melodramas is its timing.
John AndersonNovember 22, 2024
“Wicked” arrives on a whirlwind of eager (and anxious) anticipation among fans of the musical.
John DoughertyNovember 22, 2024