The Catholic bishops in Maryland have announced their full support for efforts to combat human trafficking, which, according to State Department estimates, results in 14,500 to 17,500 people being trafficked into the U.S. each year.
“As people of faith, this grave injustice cries out for a response,” Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori; Washington Archbishop Donald Wuerl; and Wilmington Bishop W. Francis Malooly said in a statement, “Proclaiming Liberty to Captives,” released April 3.
The statement noted that Maryland – due to its Interstate 95 corridor connecting major cities, truck and rest stops along highways, and the Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport – is a prime location for trafficking, often referred to as modern-day slavery.