Muslim, Hindu prayers included in prayer vigil for World Day of Prayer against Human Trafficking
February 11, 2026
A Muslim prayer, a Hindu prayer, and a Buddhist reflection were included in the official prayer vigil guide of the 12th World Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking (background).
The day is commemorated annually on February 8, the memorial of St. Josephine Bakhita. Prior to the day, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development announced:
The journey begins with a prayer vigil on February 5 at 5:30 p.m. (CET) at the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere in Rome, during which the Undersecretary of the Dicastery, Mons. Jozef Barlaš, will offer a moment of reflection and meditation. Socially committed communities gather in the capital, creating a shared moment and a broader expression of the many realities linked to human trafficking.
The prayer vigil guide was posted on the official website of the world day, which is coordinated by Talitha Kum, an international network of consecrated woman against human trafficking.
Procession of symbols
In the procession of symbols outlined in the prayer vigil guide, “five young people, representing continents or regions, carry candles to the altar. Each candle represents a vulnerable group, a core value, and our shared commitment to protect human dignity.” Included are a Christian prayer (a verse from St. Matthew’s Gospel), a Muslim prayer (from a surah, or chapter, of the Quran), what is described as a Hindu prayer (from the Visuddhimagga, a Sri Lankan Buddhist text), a Jewish prayer (a verse from the Book of Deuteronomy), and a Buddhist reflection.
Following the procession, the guide directs all to respond, “Dignity is the flame that no darkness can extinguish. Peace begins when dignity is honoured.”
Previous prayer vigil guides
The World Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking’s official website includes a selection of documents from previous years. The 2025 prayer vigil guide is not available; the 2024 prayer vigil guide includes selections from five religious texts: a verse from St. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians, a selection from the Quran, a selection from the Bhagavad Gita, a selection from Baháʼu’lláh‘s Kitáb-i-Aqdas (the central Bahāʾī text), and two verses from the Book of Proverbs. In 2024, these texts were described as “inter-faith texts,” rather than as prayers.
Previously, the official prayer vigil guides had a Christian rather than an interreligious ethos. The 2023 guide included a Gospel reading (Luke 24:13-35); the 2022 vigil concluded with the Magnificat. Likewise, the earlier posted prayer vigil guides (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020) had a Christian rather than interreligious character.
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