Pope's anti-slavery initiative gets new support from Hindu, Buddhist, Jews and Muslims

The short version: On December 2, 2014 — the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery — religious leaders from the world's major faiths gathered inside the Vatican and signed a joint declaration committing to end modern slavery by 2020: human trafficking, forced labor, organ trafficking and forced prostitution, declared crimes against humanity.

The ceremony, held at the Casina Pio IV in the Vatican Gardens, brought together Pope Francis with Hindu guru Mata Amritanandamayi (Amma); Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, represented by his disciple Sister Chan Khong; Malaysia's Chief High Priest Ven. Datuk Dhammaratana; the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby; Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, represented by Metropolitan Emmanuel of France; Rabbis Abraham Skorka and David Rosen; Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi al-Modarresi; and a representative of Al-Azhar's Grand Imam, Mohamed Ahmed El-Tayeb — a rare joint initiative of Sunni and Shia leaders.

The signing was coordinated by the Global Freedom Network, the multifaith anti-slavery initiative the Vatican had launched earlier in 2014 with the Walk Free Foundation. The declaration committed the signatories to work within their faith communities to free the estimated 35 million people then believed to be enslaved worldwide — including, per Walk Free's 2014 Global Slavery Index, some 14.2 million in India.

"In the eyes of God, each human being is a free person, whether girl, boy, woman or man, and is destined to exist for the good of all in equality and fraternity," the declaration read.

Behind the scenes there was one notable disagreement: the Anglican side insisted the text say "forced prostitution," to make clear that many in prostitution are trafficking victims, not volunteers. The final text landed on the phrasing "human trafficking, forced labor and prostitution, organ trafficking."

---

Reporting drawn from the wire coverage of the ceremony, including CNW's preview of the signing. The two quoted sentences are from the public text of the Joint Declaration of Religious Leaders against Modern Slavery.