Pope Leo XIV Apologizes for the Holy See’s Own Role in Legitimizing Slavery
The first U.S.-born pope links the Church’s slavery legacy to AI, urging regulation and warning that digital systems can deepen exploitation.
- On Monday, Pope Leo XIV released his first encyclical, "Magnifica Humanitas," issuing a historic apology for the Vatican's role in legitimizing slavery and failing to condemn it for centuries.
- A series of 15th-century Vatican directives, including the papal bull "Dum Diversas" issued in 1452, authorized Portuguese sovereigns to "invade, conquer, fight and subjugate" non-Christians and reduce them to perpetual slavery.
- The U.S.-born Pope, whose family history includes both enslaved people and slaveholders according to genealogical research, connected the trans-Atlantic slave trade to modern "forms of slavery" fueled by unregulated labor for AI chips.
- Leo responded to decades of calls by Black American Catholics, activists, and scholars for the Holy See to atone for its colonial-era role—the first time a pope has publicly acknowledged the Vatican's direct involvement in authorizing subjugation.
- Stating "This constitutes a wound in Christian memory," Leo warned the Church must condemn modern trafficking to avoid needing future pardons, emphasizing respect for human dignity as essential to Christian faith.
243 Articles
243 Articles
Al-Monitor
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Black Catholics Demanded An Apology For Slavery, Pope Leo XIV Just Gave Them One
Source: Mondadori Portfolio / Getty Pope Leo XIV issued a historic apology on May 25, openly acknowledging the Holy See’s role in legitimizing slavery and condemning the Church’s centuries-long silence on the practice. In the document, the pope described that legacy as a “wound in Christian memory,” according to ABC7. The apology was delivered in Magnifica Humanitas (“Magnificent Humanity”), Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, which focuses on the…
Leo XIV calls for “disarming” artificial intelligence in first encyclical, links it to historical slavery
Pope Leo XIV on Monday published the first major doctrinal document of his pontificate, an encyclical titled Magnifica Humanitas in which he calls for 'disarming' artificial intelligence, warns of its risks to humanity, and delivers one of the most complete and firm apologies from the Vatican for the Catholic Church's historical role in slavery. 'The word is strong, I know, but it has been chosen deliberately because this moment demands words cap
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