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 legitimising 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 onto ships, never to return home.

Between the 16th and 19th centuries, between 12 and 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 over the slave trade.

The West African nation’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,” the government said in a statement released late on Tuesday.

The Pope’s apology was delivered in what is known as an encyclical — technically a letter to Catholic bishops, but one which popes increasingly use to communicate broader messages to the world.

In the papal letter, titled “Magnifica Humanitas” (“Magnificent Humanity”), Pope Leo sincerely asked for pardon in the name of the Church, saying 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 by rulers by “regulating and legitimising forms of subjugation, including the enslavement of [non-Christians]”.

He also acknowledged that ecclesiastical institutions in the Middle Ages owned slaves, describing the Church’s role as “a wound in Christian memory”.

In April, Pope Leo completed an 11-day, four-nation visit to Africa — his first trip to the continent as pontiff — during which he criticised foreign exploitation of Africa’s wealth.

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

The country successfully pushed for a United Nations resolution in March recognising the enslavement of Africans as the “gravest crime against humanity”.

Submitted by Ghanaian President John Mahama and backed by the African Union, the resolution aims to provide a pathway to healing and reparations while addressing the lasting consequences of slavery, including inequality and racial discrimination.

Ghana, which still preserves some of the forts used to detain captives before they were shipped to the Americas, is expected to host a conference in June to discuss next steps following the adoption of the UN resolution.

Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday that while the Pope’s apology marked an important step, apologies alone were insufficient and meaningful reparative justice required further action.

The rights group added that religious institutions, states and corporations that benefited from slavery should seriously confront their histories and participate in reparative efforts.

Credit: BBC