Pope Francis has designated Friday, 23 February as a day when people of every Religion worldwide, might pray, fast and dedicate themselves to actionss which will help the marginalised, displaced and exploited in countries experiencing violence, particularly in the Democratic republic of the Congo and in South Sudan.
Speaking at his weekly blessing, Pope Francis’ words speak to those of us working against human trafficking and exploitation: ‘’Everyone in their own consciences, before God, should ask ‘what can I do for peace?…Surely, we can pray but not only: each one of us can say ‘no’ to violence in their own way, because victories obtained through violence are false victories, while working for peace benefits all.’’
For more: https://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCAKBN1FO0CH-OCATP
Anne Kelleher, RENATE Communications.

 
On 2 February, 2018, all female and male Religious joined in an evening prayer today to celebrate the Day of Consecrated Life in the Chapel of one of the Mother Houses (Sisters of Charity) in Strasbourg.
In number, we were about one hundred young and older sisters and brothers as together we sang Jesus as the Light of the World.
During the prayer of the faithful, I prayed for victims and traffickers and took the opportunity to  remind those present of the forthcoming feast of St. Bakhita on 8 February, the International Day of Prayer against Trafficking, inaugurated by Pope Francis in 2016.
At the end of the celebration, I distributed the leaflet “RENATE House of Prayer” and was happy to hear that many remembered to pray the Lord’s Prayer (Our Father) against Trafficking which I had asked them to pray last year!
May our prayers reach God’s Heart and contribute to eradicating Trafficking and Exploitation.
Marie Hélène Halligon, cgs.
Adapted by Anne Kelleher, RENATE Communications.

 
Today, February 2nd 2018, we received the news of the death of Sr. Estrella Castalone, FMA. She died in the Philippines, her homeland. Sr. Estrella was the first coordinator of Talitha Kum. From 2010 to 2014 she worked with great enthusiasm and commitment to develop Talitha Kum. During these years Sr. Estrella promoted and strengthened existing local networks and organized training for the creation of new networks in Central America, Asia and Africa.
The International Union of Superiors General and in particular the members of the Talitha Kum Network express their deepest sympathy to her Congregation, the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, also known as the Salesian Sisters of St.. John Bosco.  We are deeply grateful for the gift of Sr. Estrella Castalone and for her commitment to combat human trafficking.
http://www.talithakum.info/news/91/sr-estrella-castalone

 
 
Different & Equal (D&E) held a wonderful concert on Tuesday night, 30 January 2018,  at the Orthodox Cathedral conference centre, Tirana, Albania. The evening was entirely dedicated to the issue of Human Trafficking, with approximately 400 people present.
Six of the country’s most famous ‘pop’ singers headlined the event.  In between all the songs the singers read stories of trafficked victims. It was very moving.
President Meta attended and spoke at the end, as did a member of Parliament. They both committed themselves to work tirelessly to rid Albania of human trafficking.
RENATE members Mariana Meshi, Director of Different & Equal and Syri Pepa, social worker at D& E, spoke enthusiastically about the success of the event and its capacity to have a wider audience reach to youth, who are especially vulnerable to Human Trafficking and Exploitation. D&E work in partnership with Mary Ward Loreto in Albania on the Albanian network against human trafficking in Albania called URAT and for many grassroots pieces of work concerning the rescue and rehabilitation of the Albanian victims of trafficking.
Prepared by Imelda Poole, President, RENATE.
 

 
 

 
Vatican representative, Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, spoke to the Conference theme Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World and presented an address which highlighted the urgency of seeking ‘’ better foundations for building inclusive, just and supportive societies, capable of restoring dignity to those who live with great uncertainty and who are unable to dream of a better world.’’
Instancing new forms of slavery amongst the recurring new problems and serious challenges that governments must confront, Cardinal Turkson called on those present to ‘’…create the right conditions to allow each person to live in a dignified manner.’’
Full address available at: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/01/the-pope-s-announcement-to-wef18/
Prepared by Anne Kelleher, RENATE Communications.

On the occasion of the annual Justice and Peace Day for Religious Institutes, Thursday 11 January, 2018, Justice & Peace and the National Service Family and Society of the Conference of Bishops of France, jointly organised a conference around the theme ‘’Actors in Church against Trafficking.’’.
On a day dedicated to raising awareness about human trafficking in France, participants shared experiences of working at grassroots level and gathered in round-table discussions and at workshops, in order to learn from each other and build further capacity.
There were screenings of short films such as Invisibles and Becoming, created by the Collective “Together Against Trafficking in Human Beings,” showing different aspects of the trafficking of minors in France. 
More at: https://renatefrance.wordpress.com/2018/01/16/acteurs-en-eglise-contre-la-traite/
Adapted by Anne Kelleher, RENATE Communications.