Remembering Pope Francis

Today, we reflect on the invaluable leadership of Pope Francis.

In 2014, the Santa Marta Group was graced to be allowed a private audience with Pope Francis at the Pontifical Academy, in the Vatican. The Holy Father endorsed wholeheartedly the establishment of this new movement in the fight against modern slavery and human trafficking. From his experiences in Argentina and throughout his papacy, Pope Francis spoke passionately from first-hand knowledge about the injustice of modern slavery and human trafficking, calling it “an open wound on the body of contemporary society.”

In February this year, marking the feast of St Bakhita, he urged the world to "remove the temptation of thinking that certain phenomena cannot be defeated", insisting that “we cannot remain indifferent in front of this tragedy”.

We are blessed to have received Pope Francis’s support, and we will continue his fight to end this “crime against humanity.”

He is now with the Father. May he rest in peace.

Read Santa Marta Group President Cardinal Vincent Nichols's tribute: Cardinal Nichols pays tribute to a Pope who loved those on the peripheries - Catholic Bishops' Conference