In a new message, Pope Leo XIV has gone farther than any of his predecessors in apologizing for the Holy See’s role in promoting slavery. The groundbreaking comments came as the pope warned of the role of technology in creating new forms of oppression. The head of the Catholic Church made the unprecedented comments in a message about the dangers of artificial intelligence.
Pope issues first apology for Catholic Church’s support for slavery
Pope Leo XIV recently released his first papal encyclical, titled “Magnifica Humanitas (Magnificent Humanity),” and he used the occasion to condemn the roles that past popes played in endorsing slavery. While arguing that the Catholic Church “gradually” became a champion for human freedom, Pope Leo acknowledged the long history in which the Church endorsed and participated in slavery, including the trans-Atlantic slave trade. “In antiquity and the Middle Ages many individuals and even ecclesiastical institutions had slaves. Already in the early modern period, the Apostolic See of Rome, responding to requests from Sovereigns, intervened several times in order to regulate and legitimize forms of subjugation, and, in certain cases, the enslavement of ‘infidels.’” Leo proclaimed that “It is impossible not to feel deep sorrow when contemplating the immense suffering and humiliation endured by so many in stark contrast to their immeasurable dignity as persons infinitely loved by the Lord. For this, in the name of the Church, I sincerely ask for pardon.”
Leo’s statement is the strongest acknowledgment and apology for slavery that any pope has issued. For centuries, the Church endorsed the actions of various Catholic powers and populations, such as the Portuguese and Spanish, to enslave and dispossess various “infidel” or non-Christian peoples, including Muslims and Africans. Though the papacy did sometimes oppose the enslavement of specific populations, such as calling for the end of the enslavement of Indigenous Americans, it wasn’t until 1888 that Pope Leo XIII formally condemned slavery; by this time, most Western countries, including the United States, had already abolished slavery and the slave trade. During the late 20th century, Pope John Paul II visited Africa on multiple occasions, acknowledging the injustice of slavery and apologizing on behalf of Christians in general but not focusing on the Catholic Church’s specific role in promoting slavery.
Acknowledging injustices through history while warning for the future
The apology for slavery is the latest notable move by Pope Leo who, like his immediate predecessor Pope Francis, has been seen as pushing the Church in a progressive direction. Leo’s stances on issues such as immigration and the U.S. war in Iran have brought him into conflict with President Trump, who has publicly mocked the pontiff. Leo, the first pope from the United States in the history of the Catholic Church, has a unique family relationship with slavery. His Creole roots give Leo a complex lineage that includes both slaveholders and enslaved people.
While acknowledging past and present injustices, Leo is also warning of future forms of oppression. His apology for slavery was part of a larger message to the Catholic faithful concerned with the potential impact of artificial intelligence. Leo acknowledged the potential benefits of AI but also warned of the dangers that the technology could pose for worsening inequality and promoting oppression. Leo declared that AI must be “disarmed,” clarifying that “to disarm means discrediting the assumption that technical power automatically confers the right to govern. To disarm does not mean rejecting technology, but preventing it from dominating humanity.”
In warning against future systems of domination, Leo has also acknowledged one of the worst instances of oppression in human history and asked for forgiveness for the Church’s role in hundreds of years of slavery. As forces in Leo’s home country, the United States, seek to downplay the evils and impact of slavery, it is important that the American pope fully recognizes the horrors of slavery and the role that institutions like the Catholic Church played in supporting this oppression.