VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV issued a historic apology on Monday for the Vatican’s role in legitimizing slavery, acknowledging the church’s failure to condemn the practice for centuries. He referred to the Vatican’s past as a ‘wound in Christian memory.’
In his first encyclical, ‘Magnifica Humanitas,’ released on the same day, the pope addressed the trans-Atlantic slave trade and linked it to modern forms of slavery exacerbated by the digital revolution, emphasizing the need for ethical considerations in the era of artificial intelligence.
Pope Leo XIV, the first U.S.-born pope, delivered the apology in a sweeping manifesto that highlights the church’s historical complicity in slavery. He stated that past popes had given European monarchs explicit authority to enslave non-Christians, a point he described as critical to understanding the church’s legacy.
Anthea Butler, a senior fellow at the Koch History Center, noted that the pope’s acknowledgment of the Catholic Church’s complicity is essential for addressing contemporary issues related to technological enslavement. She remarked, ‘For descendants of enslaved persons, this is once again a much needed apology from the pope.’
The Vatican has maintained that it has always upheld human dignity. However, 15th-century papal bulls authorized the enslavement of non-Christians, with Pope Nicholas V’s 1452 bull, ‘Dum Diversas,’ granting the Portuguese king rights to invade and enslave.
These directives contributed to the Doctrine of Discovery, legitimizing colonial land seizures. Although the Vatican repudiated the Doctrine in 2023, it has not formally rescinded the original bulls.
Pope Leo XIV reflected on the delayed response of the church to condemn slavery, recalling that his namesake, Pope Leo XIII, was the first to explicitly denounce the practice in 1888. The current pope emphasized that, while moral judgments evolve, the church’s historical inaction remains a significant issue.
He stated, ‘Neither can we deny or diminish the delay with which both society and the church came to denounce the scourge of slavery,’ underlining the church’s long-standing commitment to human dignity.
Kellerman, a Jesuit priest and author, welcomed the pope’s apology but called for further acknowledgment of the church’s role in slavery. He expressed hope for a future document detailing the church’s involvement in the slave trade.
Pope Leo XIV’s family history includes both enslaved individuals and slaveholders, adding a personal dimension to his apology. His recent visit to Angola included reflections on the suffering endured by Angolans during the slave trade.