Vatican News
The fight against transnational organized crime must go beyond punishment to include prevention and protection, according to the Holy See.
“While accountability is indispensable, prevention and protection must also be integral to this approach,” said the Holy See’s delegation.
The statement, prepared for the 13th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, meeting from October 19 to 23, identified five priorities.
Education and protection
The first concerned preventing criminal groups from recruiting and exploiting young people, including for drug trafficking.
Citing Pope Leo XIV’s affirmation that “education is key to prevention,” the Holy See emphasized the role of parents as their children’s first educators, supported by schools, civil society, and faith-based organizations.
Together, they can help young people resist criminal networks and foster responsibility, freedom, and the common good.
The statement highlighted migrant smuggling and human trafficking, particularly victims forced into criminal activities who are subsequently treated as offenders.
It recalled Pope Leo’s warning about cyber slavery, involving people lured into online schemes and compelled to participate in financial scams and other crimes.
The Holy See called for victims to be identified, protected, and supported, distinguishing them from those who organize and profit from exploitation.
Children, heritage, and creation
Addressing the online sexual exploitation of children, the Holy See urged international cooperation, effective law enforcement, appropriate legal frameworks, and ethical standards.
Protecting minors, it said, requires shared responsibility among governments, families, schools, civil society, and technology providers.
The delegation warned that trafficking in cultural property deprives communities of their identity and spiritual heritage.
Quoting Pope Leo, it recalled that cultural property bears “witness to a history that speaks to every person, from one generation to the next.”
The Holy See also highlighted environmental crimes involving the illegal exploitation and trafficking of natural resources, which harm communities and future generations.
Justice must hold perpetrators accountable, the statement concluded. It must also “protect those at risk, help those who have been harmed to recover and reintegrate into society, and safeguard the social, cultural and spiritual bonds that give communities their identity.” – Vatican News
