Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care
of Migrants and Itinerants
Statement on
Piracy and seafarers: a human crisis
From the Vatican, 26th May 2011
Recent
reports in the media, about the plight of seafarers seized
by pirates, has placed the tragic reality of piracy into the
spotlight once more.
Already last February in the meeting of the Regional
Coordinators of the Apostleship of the Sea – organized by
this Pontifical Council – it was emphasized that piracy had
reached its historical peak in 2010 with 445 attacks, 53
vessels seized and 1,181 seafarers captured. To date, this
phenomenon doesn’t show any signs of decreasing given that
214 new episodes have been reported, with 26 ships and 522
seafarers still held hostage by pirates (IMB Piracy
Reporting Centre).
Even
though the majority of attacks were recorded off the coast
of Somalia, as a matter of fact, piracy remains a worldwide
challenge that requires a global response, as the illusion
of easy and immediate money has also attracted the interest
of international criminal organizations.
The
maritime world has responded by adopting several measures to
protect vessels and their cargoes. Unfortunately, little
attention is given to the seafarers and particularly to
their families during and especially after the hijacking,
leaving to the shipping company the responsibility to care
for the people involved, according to the situations and
their nationalities.
The
Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and
Itinerant People, which is responsible for the overall
direction of the Work of the Maritime Apostolate,
which “promotes the specific pastoral care to the people
of the sea”, expresses its concern and issues a
heartfelt appeal:
To
the Governments and international organizations,
to promptly activate the appropriate channels to safely
bring homes the sequestered seafarers and to find solutions
to this problem, given that it is necessary to intervene on
the real causes of the phenomenon, such as unfairness in the
distribution of goods between countries and the exploitation
of natural resources.
To
the ship owners,
to adopt preventive measures to ensure the safety not only
of the vessels and their cargoes, but also of the seafarers.
In the tragic case of a hijacking, to assume an attitude of
attention and support for the families of seized people and
offer immediate assistance in order to reduce the long-term
traumatic effects.
To
all the hijacked seafarers,
not to lose the hope that they will be soon reunited with
their loved ones and to remain strong in their faith. To
them the Apostleship of the Sea would like to express its
complete solidarity.
To
the families of the hijacked seafarers, not to hesitate to contact the Stella Maris
Centers for assistance and support. In these tragic
circumstances, these Centers more than ever can be a safe
port and a beacon of hope. The seafarers should know that
the chaplains and volunteers of the Apostleship of the Sea
are at their side to face these long days and months of
uncertainty and fear.
To
the Christian communities,
to pray Mary, Star of the Sea, to protect the
seafarers from all possible dangers and to support those
who, because of piracy, are going through a dark and
difficult period of their life.
To
the pirates,
to cease their criminal activities and recognize the deep
pain they are causing to seafarers (and their families) and
to treat them with respect and humanity.
Finally, the Apostleship of the Sea expresses its
willingness to cooperate and collaborate with Governments,
international organizations, shipping companies and unions,
to alleviate the sufferings of the hijacked seafarers and
provide psychological and spiritual support to their
families.
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