Vatican supply chains to be ‘slavery-proof’

The Vatican will commit to ensuring its supply chains are “slavery-proof” following the announcement that the world’s biggest consumer goods firms and supermarket chains have decided to do the same to eliminate forced labour from their business partners, writes Mark Brolly.

Cardinal George Pell, the ­prefect of the Vatican’s Secretariat for the Economy, made the announcement at a Global Foundation round table on the global economy in Rome on 17 January.

The Australian cardinal said anti-slavery was an area in which Pope Francis and other religious leaders, notably the Archbishop of Canterbury, had cooperated closely to help eradicate the scourge of forced labour.