Catholic Bishops call for fight against modern forms of slavery

Elmina Nov. 15, GNA-Cardinal Theodore Sarr, Catholic Archbishop of Dakar-Senegal and vice president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conference of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), on Wednesday called on Catholic bishops and civil society to help fight against the new forms of slavery which is spreading fast in the world.

He pointed out that the bitterness of slavery still remained fresh in the minds of many people, especially black Africans in the Diaspora and described women and child trafficking, poverty, brain-drain and conditionalities in global economy and politics as some of the modern forms of slavery which should be fought by all. Cardinal Sarr said this at the opening of a six-day seminar, organized by the Symposium of the Episcopal Conference of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) and Council of European Bishops' Conference (CCEE) (catholic organizations) at Elmina to mark the 200th anniversary of the end of slavery in Africa.

The seminar, the first to be held in Ghana is under the theme; "I know the suffering of many people - slavery and new forms of slavery- towards a culture of life and the family" is geared towards a communion and solidarity between Europe and Africa in the age of human mobility and also to find solutions to the new forms of slavery in Africa. It is also to enable the participants who include, cardinals, archbishops and bishops from Ghana, Angola Cameroon, Senegal, Italy, France, Croatia, Portugal, Spain, England, and the Vatican, to reflect on the positive and negative effects of slave trade and help bring reconciliation and healing of the past.

Cardinal Sarr said the time had come for all to be liberated from this dehumanizing "drama" and stressed that after 200 years of the abolition of the slave trade African women and children were still being trafficked within and outside the continent.

He pointed that brain-drain was another new form of slavery in Africa and stressed that most African governments spent huge sums of money to train doctors, engineers, nurses and scientists who leave their countries to offer services outside for better re-numerations, adding that even footballers in the bid to seek greener pastures leave their mother clubs to travel outside only to end up doing prostitution and pushing drug and asked that something must be done immediately about the situation.

Cardinal Josip Bozanic, Catholic Archbishop of Zagreb-Croatia and President of the CCEE expressed hapiness that a platform was being created for African and European bishops to voice out their feeling about the slave trade and the new form slavery.

He regretted that many people in Africa after the abolition of slave trade 200 years ago were still going through slavery of poverty, injustices and unequal distribution of resources in the planet and stressed the need for a collaborative effort to address the situation. Cardinal Bozanic said when it comes to the church, both Africans and Europeans shared the same vision, love and destiny asked the participants to reflect on the universality of the Catholic Church and educate the church on the effects of the new form of slavery and also endeavour to fight against it.

Most Reverend Mathias Nketia, Auxillary bishop of Cape Coast, in his welcoming address expressed concern that indigenes of Africa fully participated in this infamous trade by supplying the slaves to the Europeans and urged the participants to learn lessons from it and fight against all types of slavery in the world.

Mr Samuel Obodai deputy Central Regional Minister commended the organizers for selecting the Central Region for the seminar and said such programmes bring back sad memories of slavery and prayed that such atrocities should not happen again in the history of humanity and asked the participants to come out with pragmatic measures that would help curb modern forms of slavery in Africa.

Among those present at the seminar were Osabarima Kwesi Atta II, Omanhene of Oguaa traditional council and Bishop Daniel Allotey, Anglican Bishop of Cape Coast who both suggested that the seminar should evolve programmes that would help stem modern forms of slavery. The participants would treat topics such as; "I know the suffering of my people, Biblical prospective", "migration and new slaveries", "reconciliation and healing of memories" and "Women, children and organ trafficking" The next seminar would be help in Rome in 2010. 15 Nov. 07