The United States is working with the Vatican to fight human trafficking, Secretary of State John Kerry wrote in
an op-ed in Sunday's Boston Globe.
"I’ve instructed the Trafficking in Persons Office at the State Department to zero in on the way modern slavery entangles with economic and environmental concerns," Kerry wrote.
He called the effort a "powerful example" of how the State Department is working with faith communities to fight various area of mutual concern. The new Office of Faith-Based Community Initiatives at the State Department is led by Dr. Shaun Casey, formerly of Wesley Seminary.
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In addition to the more well-known faces of modern slavery, such as sex workers, Kerry also pointed out the people forced to work on fishing vessels, who are often mistreated and even murdered by their captors.
"Christ found his earliest followers off the shore of the Sea of Galilee," Kerry wrote. "He brought them off their fishing boats to become his apostles, to spread his message of love and compassion."
The worldwide Catholic organization Apostolate of the Sea will be a major partner in the effort, Kerry noted.
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