Learn the stories of trafficking victims, pope urges
Pope Francis encourages people to put themselves in the shoes of victims and understand the plight of many immigrants
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Pope Francis has encouraged people to put themselves in the shoes of victims of human trafficking.
Once a person learns about these victims' experiences, "it will be impossible to remain indifferent when we hear talk about boats adrift, ignored and even driven back from our shores," he wrote in the preface to a new book.
The pope's remarks appear in a book,
I Am Joy: A Cry of Freedom from the Slavery of Trafficking. The book, written in Italian, was to be released Jan. 27 by the Italian publishing house of the Society of St. Paul. The International Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking is celebrated annually Feb. 8, the feast day of St. Josephine Bakhita. Publishers released the text of the pope's preface Jan. 21.