By Samuel Abasiekong-Abasiekong
Pope Leo XIV has issued a historic apology for the Vatican’s role in legitimising slavery and failing to condemn the trans-Atlantic slave trade for centuries.
Pope Leo XIV describes the Church’s actions as “a wound in Christian memory.” The apology was contained in his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas (“Magnificent Humanity”), released on Monday.
In the document, the pontiff acknowledged for the first time that past popes granted European colonial powers religious approval to conquer foreign lands and enslave non-Christians during the colonial era.
He expressed deep sorrow over the suffering endured by enslaved people and formally asked for forgiveness on behalf of the Catholic Church.
The Pope noted that while previous church leaders had apologised for Christians’ involvement in slavery, no pope had openly admitted the direct role of the Holy See in authorising and legitimising the slave trade through official papal decrees. He admitted the Church was slow in recognising slavery as incompatible with Christian teachings.
The encyclical also linked the horrors of slavery to modern-day exploitation connected to technological advancement, especially labour abuses associated with the extraction of rare minerals used in artificial intelligence production.
Pope Leo also warned that the Church must speak against emerging forms of exploitation to avoid repeating the failures of the past.
Historical records referenced in the debate include the 1452 papal decree Dum Diversas, issued by Pope Nicholas V, which authorised the Portuguese monarchy to conquer and enslave non-Christians.
Another decree, Romanus Pontifex of 1455, further strengthened what later became known as the “Doctrine of Discovery,” used to justify colonial conquest and enslavement across Africa and the Americas.
Reacting to the apology, scholars and Black Catholic activists described the move as long overdue. Anthea Butler said the apology was necessary for the Church to maintain moral credibility in confronting modern exploitation, while Jesuit scholar Christopher J. Kellerman praised the Pope for strengthening the Church’s moral standing through the admission.
