Rome, Italy - January 15, 2025 Pope Francis said Wednesday “that if we want to eradicate child labor, we cannot be its accomplices” and denounced that this happens “when we buy products that employ child labor,” during the general audience held in the Paul VI Hall. Camera: DANIEL CÁCERES. FOOTAGE AND SOUNDBITES OF POPE FRANCISCO DURING THE GENERAL AUDIENCE IN THE PAUL VI CLASSROOM. TRANSLATION: 1) Today, hundreds of millions of children in the world are forced to work, even though they are not old enough to fulfill the obligations of adulthood. And many of them are exposed to particularly dangerous work. Not to mention the children who are enslaved by trafficking for prostitution pornography or forced marriages. 2) There is also a case in my country. A child named Loan was abducted and it is not known where. And one of the hypotheses is that he was sent to extract organs for transplants. And this is done. Know that this is done. Some come back with a scar, some die. That's why I would like to remember this Loan boy today. 3) First of all, we must recognize that we want to eradicate child labor, we cannot be complicit. And when are we complicit? How can I eat and dress knowing that behind that food or clothing, there are exploited children working instead of going to school? Becoming aware of what we buy is the first step to avoid being complicit. We have to see where these products come from. [Restrictions: Spain, Latin America, or the U.S. Hispanic market]