Anglican leader joins Pope Francis for anti-slavery initiative
(Vatican Radio) The Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury and leader of the global Anglican Communion, Justin Welby was among the numerous religious representatives who flew in from around the world on Tuesday for the signing of a joint declaration against modern slavery in the Vatican. The initiative, promoted by the Global Freedom Network and the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, grew out of a first meeting of the Anglican leader with Pope Francis in 2013. Since then Orthodox, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist and Hindu leaders have all joined the campaign to stamp out the scourge of human trafficking.
Following the signing of the declaration, Philippa Hitchen joined other journalists to ask Archbishop Welby about the practical implications of this historic occasion….
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Archbishop Welby says while the event in the Vatican was a unique event, bringing together so many different religious leaders, it’s also crucial to build on that momentum with a programme of implemention and he says he believes the Global Freedom Network has the ability to do that…..
In the Church of England, he says, two dioceses are already very involved in teaching and training people in awareness of this issue to help people ask questions of how they invest, where they buy things from and where those goods might be made…..
In the modern slavery bill currently going through the British parliament, he notes, there are obligations on retailers to look at their supply chains….the Anglican leader also says he’s been involved in running ethical funds and has seen first hand the impact that they can have on pressuring retailers to stop the use of slavery in the manufacturing supply chains….