Ghana welcomes Pope’s apology over Catholic Church’s role in slavery

Ghana has welcomed Pope Leo XIV’s apology for the Catholic Church’s historic role in slavery, describing it as an “act of moral courage” that was important in the global pursuit of “truth, human dignity and justice”.

The Pope issued the clearest apology yet for the Church’s involvement in legitimizing slavery and its delay in condemning it for centuries.

The apology was published on Monday in the Pope’s first major teaching document of his papacy, which also focused on the dangers of artificial intelligence (AI).

Ghana was a major hub for the transatlantic slave trade when millions of people were captured and loaded on to ships, never to return home.

Between the 16th and 19th Centuries, 12-15 million Africans were shipped to the Caribbean, with about two million dying during the journey.

Ghana has long been leading efforts for compensation and apologies from Western nations for the slave trade.

The country’s government said the Pope’s recognition of the painful past was an important step towards healing, reconciliation and a just society.

”The apology reinforces the growing global understanding that confronting historical injustices demands truth-telling and moral responsibility as essential foundations for justice and reconciliation,” said a statement by the Ghanaian government.

The Pope’s apology was delivered in what is known as a encyclical technically; a letter to Catholic bishops, but which over recent decades have been how a pontiff passes on messages to the world.

In the papal letter – titled “Magnifica Humanitas”(Magnificient Humanity); Pope Leo sincerely asked for a pardon in the name of the Church, adding that it was “impossible not to feel deep sorrow when contemplating the immense suffering and humiliation endured by so many”.

Leo said Church authorities had at times responded to requests of rulers by “regulating and legitimizing forms of subjugation, including the enslavement of non-Christians”.

He also acknowledged that earlier in the Middle Ages, ecclesiastical institutions had their own slaves.

“This constitutes a wound in Christian memory,” he said of the Church’s record.

In April, Pope Leo completed 11-day, four-nation of Africa, his first visit to the continent as pontiff and where he made several forthright remarks including lashing out at foreigners who exploit Africa’s wealth for profit.

Ghana said the Pope’s acknowledgment of the “painful history” was significant, at a time the world was having a “deeper reflection” on the effects of slavery and colonialism.