On Thursday, 1 January, the Solemnity of the Mother of God, the Church celebrated the 48th World Day of Peace. On this occasion Pope Francis issued his message with the theme: No longer slaves, but brothers and sisters.
Peace is "God's gracious gift to all humanity". Peace means living fraternally, "as brothers and sisters to be accepted and embraced" (§ 1). However, from the earliest times of humanity, there has already been a direct and violent attack on fraternal relationships. Starting from the first fratricide. The Pope says that "Cain's murder of Abel bears tragic witness to his radical rejection of their vocation to be brothers" (§ 1).
In the face of such a shameful distortion Christianity responded by claiming that in Jesus Christ everyone should be considered as a brother and a sister. In fact, Pope Francis said that "conversion to Christ, the beginning of a life lived Christian discipleship, thus constitutes a new birth (cf. 2 Cor 5:17; 1 Pet 1:3) which generates fraternity as the fundamental bond of family life and the basis of life in society" (§ 2). Such a fraternity gladly welcomes and "embraces variety and differences between brothers and sisters" (§ 2).
Unfortunately sin has seriously tarnished this healing way of seeing things. Sin views variety and differences as sources of division and conflict. Sin made us deceptively believe that diversity brings chaos and confusion. It kills the family spirit of the human family. Moreover, sin justified the oppression of those who are different from each other. Hence, sin entered in the world and degraded innocent human beings through the abominable crime of slavery. The Pope sadly reminds us of the various kinds of slavery that existed in the past and are present with us today. These include men and women labourers, the living conditions of migrants, those who legally agree to disgraceful living and working conditions, persons forced into prostitution, people who are being trafficked and those who are kidnapped and made captives by terrorist groups (see § 3).
According to Pope Francis these tragic situations are the results of hidden devastating causes which promoted them. The Holy Father mentioned these causes one by one. These are poverty, underdevelopment and exclusion; corruption by people willing to do anything for financial gain and armed conflicts, violence, criminal activity and terrorism (see § 4).
Amid "a context of general indifference" (§ 5) at the awful plight of human trafficking, illegal trafficking of migrants and other acknowledged or unacknowledged kinds of slavery, the Holy Father praised "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" (§ 5). The Pope explained that "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" (§ 5). Having said that Pope Francis admitted that there is a "need for a threefold commitment on the institutional level: to prevention, to victim protection and to the legal prosecution of perpetrators" (§ 5). Thus, in order to combat successfully the scourge of human persons' exploitation a worldwide response, coming from different aspects of society, is direly needed. This global effort incorporates states, intergovernmental organisations, businesses, consumers and organisations in civil society (see § 5).
The Church is responsible in educating us in the fraternal way of treating others, especially those who are suffering. The Church is charged from the Lord Jesus to help us "recognise in every other person a brother or sister in our human family, and to acknowledge his or her intrinsic dignity in truth and freedom" (§ 6). Let us show fraternity to those kept in enslavement by "join[ing] civic associations or practi[sing] small, everyday gestures - which have so much merit! - such as offering a kind word, a greeting or a smile" (§ 6).
Do I "have the courage to touch the suffering flesh of Christ, revealed in the faces of those countless persons whom he calls 'the least of these my brethren' ( Mt 25:40, 45)?" (§ 6). The suffering ones?
Fr Mario Attard OFM Cap
Paola