Pope, world religious leaders, pledge to fight modern slavery

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis and Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist and Christian leaders pledged on Tuesday to use their religions to help stamp out modern slavery and human trafficking by 2020.

Francis was lead signatory of a declaration also signed by among others the head of the Anglican Communion, two rabbis, a Hindu from India, a Vietnamese Buddhist, an Egyptian imam and an Iraqi ayatollah. It called human trafficking, forced labor and prostitution and organ trafficking "a crime against humanity."

"The physical, economic, sexual and psychological exploitation of men and women, boys and girls, is chaining tens of millions of persons to inhumanity and humiliation," the pope said, before signing the pledge to do "all in our power, within our faith communities and beyond" to end modern slavery.

The leader of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics called modern slavery "an atrocious plague."

The second global slavery index released last month by the Walk Free Foundation, an Australia-based human rights group, estimated that almost 36 million people were living as slaves, trafficked into brothels, forced into manual labor, victims of debt bondage or born into servitude.

Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual head of the world's 300 million Orthodox Christians, addressed the group via a video link-up from his base in Istanbul.

The event was organized by the Global Freedom Network, a multi-faith anti-slavery group.

Organizers said religious leaders could inspire their faithful to combat slavery and human trafficking through education, funding, demanding legal reform and enforcement and promoting ethical purchasing to avoid buying goods that could be the product of forced labor.

Cecilia Oebanda, president of the Visayan Forum, which is recognized worldwide for its efforts against child labor and human trafficking, witnessed the event herself in Rome on invitation of the Global Freedom Network.

source: interaksyon.com

Obama sends Easter, Passover greetings

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama extended Easter and Passover greetings Saturday as Americans celebrated the Christian and Jewish holidays.

"These holidays have their roots in miracles that took place thousands of years ago. They connect us to our past and give us strength as we face the future," Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address. "And they remind us of the common thread of humanity that connects us all."

Passover began at sundown Friday and ends on April 14. It commemorates the Israelites' exodus from slavery in Egypt, receipt of the Torah at Mount Sinai and eventual journey into the Promised Land.

At a festive dinner called a Seder, unleavened bread is consumed during the seven-day holiday to re-live the hasty flight from Egypt, during which there was no time to allow the bread to rise.

The Gospels say Jesus rose from the dead after his crucifixion and burial on the morning of what has become known as Easter Sunday -- the most important day of the year for Christians.

"For me, and for countless other Christians, Easter weekend is a time to reflect and rejoice," Obama said in the address stressing his own religious fervor.

"Christ's triumph over death holds special meaning for Christians. But all of us, no matter how or whether we believe, can identify with elements of His story. The triumph of hope over despair. Of faith over doubt.

"The notion that there is something out there that is bigger than ourselves."

Obama, a Christian who attends church regularly with his family, has faced slurs in the past from opponents who painted him as un-American and even a "closet Muslim" -- his middle name is Hussein.

Saying the core values at the heart of Easter and Passover "help unite Americans of all faiths and backgrounds," Obama wishes all Americans "a weekend filled with joy and reflection, focused on the things that matter most."

source: interaksyon.com