The Church ended slavery. So why is Leo XIV apologizing?
Pope Leo XIV's encyclical Magnifica Humanitas includes an apology for the Church's historical delays in addressing slavery. He acknowledges the suffering caused by this delay and emphasizes the Church's gradual recognition of the incompatibility of slavery with human dignity. The encyclical also critiques contemporary labor conditions that resemble slavery and reaffirms the Church's condemnation of all forms of slavery.
- ▪Pope Leo XIV asked for pardon for the Church's delays in recognizing the incompatibility of slavery with human dignity.
- ▪The encyclical criticizes contemporary labor conditions as a form of slavery.
- ▪It states that the Church's moral criteria regarding slavery matured over time, leading to a delayed condemnation.
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Analysis The Church ended slavery. So why is Leo XIV apologizing? The new encyclical Magnifica Humanitas contains an apology for the Church's 'delays' regarding slavery. But is this just? Pope Leo XIVShutterstock S.D.Wright 0 S.D. Wright Comments 0 Fri May 29, 2026 - 8:49 pm EDT (LifeSiteNews) – In Leo XIV’s new encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, given on May 15, 2026 (“On safeguarding the human person in the time of Artificial Intelligence), he asked for “pardon” for the Church having taken “eighteen centuries” to recognize the “full incompatibility” between slavery and “the dignity of every human being” – and the “suffering and humiliation” this has caused. In paragraph n.
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