Mexican actor Eduardo Verastegui, a Catholic, has started a nationwide campaign to stop human trafficking.
The battle against human trafficking is “my number one objective right now,” Verástegui told CNA, and was motivated by his most recent movie, “Sound of Freedom,” which will be available on Amazon Prime on September 8.
In an attempt to work in conjunction with local government officials, educators, law enforcement, and foundations to combat child abuse, the producer and actor is now travelling 32 states in Mexico with his group, Movimiento Viva Mexico.
Shortly after the actor visited with Pope Francis, Verástegui said in an interview in the Vatican Gardens that he wanted to create a “campaign to combat child trafficking.”
God’s children are not for sale, he said, so if we all work together, we can put a stop to this dreadful reality.
“Sound of Freedom,” a film featuring Jim Caviezel, who is most known for portraying Jesus in The Passion of the Christ, was produced by Verástegui.
In the movie “Sound of Freedom,” which was directed by Alejandro Monteverde and was filmed in Cartagena, Colombia, 127 children who had been sexually assaulted were saved. It is based on Tim Ballard’s real-life experiences as a former CIA agent who started Operation Underground Railroad to fight human trafficking.
Verástegui’s realisation of the scope of Mexico’s child trafficking problem—which has been rated second in the world for underage prostitution, according to the Scelles Foundation—came as a result of working on the movie.
Vatican meeting
At a Vatican meeting where performers from the theatre, film, and music industries gathered to talk about how the arts and entertainment may promote hope, Verástegui discussed his efforts to fight human trafficking.
The Vitae Global conference was attended by Marcus Mumford, Patricia Heaton, David Oyelowo, J. Balvin, Alessia Cara, Jonathan Roumie, Isaac Chung, and a dozen more celebrities. Denzel Washington, the Oscar winner, had also signed up to go but was unable to go because of a last-minute change in his production schedule.
On September 1, Pope Francis engaged in a two-hour private discussion with performers in the Vatican Gardens, asking them to serve as “preachers of beauty.”
Mexican singer-songwriter Alexander Acha, who has won a Latin Grammy, told CNA that Pope Francis urged the summit participants to seek truth and reflection in their artistic activities.
Art “opens doors, touches hearts, and encourages us to go ahead,” the pope remarked.
The encounter with Pope Francis before to the premiere of the movie was especially significant for Verástegui, who had previously visited with him to request a papal blessing of the project before beginning production on The Sound of Freedom.
“To have the opportunity to speak with him here at the Vatican with so many wonderful individuals was a lovely experience,” she said.
“The most significant aspect of my life is my religion. The focal point of my existence. My religion serves as the foundation for all I do, the actor said.
pro-life advocacy
Because of his leading part in the pro-life movie “Bella,” Verástegui initially gained notoriety among US viewers. He has since been a vocal supporter of the pro-life cause.
He thinks that the recent Roe v. Wade judgement by the Supreme Court will “save countless lives.”
Verástegui said, “I’m really delighted because with the effort of so many people, the prayers of so many people, we finally witnessed a great outcome.”
“This is just the start. Although we are making progress, we haven’t done the task yet since we now need to go state by state.
Because we adore God and the most precious gift that God has given us, life, we must fight every day, he added.