At the Vatican, Amma (Mata Amritanandamayi) joined Pope Francis and other leaders of the world's major religions to sign the Faith Leaders' Universal Declaration Against Slavery. Present by the personal invitation of Pope Francis, with whom she met privately, Amma added her voice to a historic interfaith pledge to work together to eradicate human trafficking and every form of modern slavery by 2020. Signed under the auspices of the Global Freedom Network, the declaration united religious leaders whose combined followers represent more than half the world's population, together declaring that slavery is a crime against humanity.
I am optimistic that all global faiths are uniting together to inspire both spiritual and practical actions towards society ending the horror of slavery and human trafficking.
— Amma
The signatories called on all people — irrespective of gender, faith or culture — to stand together against a tragedy that still enslaves tens of millions. For Amma, whose humanitarian mission has long served the exploited and the vulnerable, the ceremony affirmed a shared moral commitment that transcends every religious boundary.
