tvc.dsj.org | May 7, 2019
IN THE CHURCH
25
Satan, Not God, Tricks People With Temptation, Pope Says
By Carol Glatz
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY -- God never tricks,
traps or tempts his children to sin or
commit evil, Pope Francis said.
God is with his people every step
of the way -- during times of joy and
sadness, triumph and tribulation -- and
he always helps lead people away from
the devil and his temptations, the pope
said during his weekly general audi-
ence in St. Peter’s Square May 1, the
feast of St. Joseph the Worker.
Marking the feast day, the pope
prayed that the saint, a carpenter and
Jesus’ guardian, would support people
sacrificing so much to do good in the
world and intercede on behalf of all
those who have lost their job or cannot
find employment.
Unemployment “is a global tragedy
today,” he said at the end of his audi-
ence.
In his main audience talk, the pope
continued his catechesis on the Lord’s
Prayer, looking at the next to last invo-
cation, “Lead us not into temptation.”
Modern translations from the origi-
Pope Francis poses with a group of Scouts during his general audience in St. Peter’s Square
at the Vatican May 1, 2019. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
nal Greek expression “are a bit shaky”
and do not give a precise rendering of
the real meaning, he said. But recent
Vatican-approved translations in some
languages, like French, Italian and
Spanish, include equivalents such as
“Do not abandon us to temptation”
or “Do not let us enter” or “fall into
temptation.”
Pope Francis already highlighted
the translation issue as part of a televi-
sion series on the Lord’s Prayer in 2017
when he said some translations of the
“Our Father” can give believers the
wrong impression that God can and
does lead people into temptation.
“I’m the one who falls. But it’s not
(God) who pushes me into temptation
to see how I fall. No, a father does not
do this. A father helps us up immedi-
ately,” he had said in the interview.
The pope reiterated t he sa me
point at his general audience, saying
that despite the various translations,
one thing is undisputed: “We must
exclude God as the source of the
temptations that impede humanity
in its journey as if God himself were
on the prowl, setting snares and traps
for his children.”
In the Gospels, Jesus has revealed
the true image of God as a loving, pro-
tective father, he said.
“Christians don’t have anything to
do with a jealous God who is compet-
ing with humanity or who enjoys test-
ing them. These are images of many
pagan divinities,” the pope said.
God the father is not the source of
evil, he said. Rather, when evil appears
in people’s lives, God is the one “fight-
ing at their side so that they may be
freed. (He is) a God who always fights
for us, not against us.”
Kentucky Derby Draws Attention to Issue of Human Trafficking
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (CNS) -- Sum-
mer Dickerson, a young woman who
survived sex trafficking, said that four
years ago when she sat on Millionaire’s
Row, an exclusive seating area at the
Kentucky Derby, no one around her
knew she wasn’t there for the race.
Dickerson shared her story April
18 at a news conference held by the
Kentucky attorney general’s office at
Survivors’ Corner -- a resource center
for victims of human trafficking in
Louisville.
Attorney General Andy Beshear
said the news conference was meant
to inform the public about human traf-
ficking during the Kentucky Derby -- a
time when he said there is an increase
in the buying and selling of individu-
als for sex and forced labor. This year’s
Kentucky Derby is May 4.
Putting a stop to such trafficking
will require the community’s effort,
he said, and urged people to help by
looking for certain signs that someone
is a victim such as:
• Individuals with tattoos or branding;
• People who appear malnourished;
• A person who won’t make eye
contact;
• Someone who lacks identification
documents or personal
possessions;
• Individuals who can’t identify the
state they are in or where they
are staying.
In an effort to identify and protect
victims of trafficking, Beshear said
his office has partnered with Catholic
Charities of Louisville, the University
of Louisville and the Transit Author-
ity of River City.
Through the partnership with
Catholic Charities, the attorney gen-
eral said, his office secured the first
grant to combat human trafficking.
The grant was used to train 9,000
individuals state-wide to detect and
report trafficking.
Every transit driver and dispatcher
has been trained as well. And for the
first time this year, an individual
trained to spot victims of traffick-
ing will be aboard every bus during
Derby week, he said.
Such efforts pay off, he added,
noting that last year, during events
in the city, 39 individuals suspected
of taking part in trafficking activities
were arrested. One was prosecuted,
found guilty and sentenced to 20
years in prison.
Marissa Castellanos -- director of
Catholic Charities’ anti-trafficking
program called Bakhita Empower-
ment Initiative -- said this collabora-
Summer Dickerson, a human trafficking
survivor, speaks during a press conference
held by the office of Attorney General Andy
Beshear April 18, 2019, at Survivors’ Corner
in Louisville, Ky. Amy Leenerts, founder of
Free2Hope Inc., a nonprofit which sup-
ports victims, looks on. (CNS photo/Ruby
Thomas, The Record)
tive effort against human trafficking
should happen year-round.
“Any efforts to combat human
trafficking needs to be collaborative,”
said Castellanos. “The active engage-
ment of many organizations to help
identify, investigate and serve survi-
vors is needed, especially to do really
good comprehensive work.”
The Bakhita Empowerment Initia-
tive aims to educate the community
about human trafficking and provide
housing, food, clothing and legal and
immigration aid to survivors.
During the news conference, Dick-
erson shared with those in attendance
that people often ask her, “What are
you doing for Oaks and Derby?” re-
ferring to the two races; the Kentucky
Oaks, for female horses, takes place
the day before the Kentucky Derby.
“Four years ago, I was being sold
on Oaks and Derby. Four years later,
I’m part of the solution,” she said.
Dickerson -- founder of the Women
of the Well ministry for trafficking
survivors based in Louisville -- said
she lived in Chicago for a time and
even then she was brought to Louis-
ville to be trafficked during the Derby.
“I sat on Millionaire’s Row and
no one realized I was a victim,” she
recalled.
As t he 145t h Kent ucky Derby
draws near, efforts to raise awareness
about trafficking will continue, said
Castellanos.
PATH (People Against Traffick-
ing Humans) will hold the seventh
annual prayer service to remember
victims of human trafficking April 30
at Jefferson Square Park in Louisville
and a second annual Stop the Traffic
Gala will take place May 3 raising
funds for the Bakhita Empowerment
Initiative.