The Knights of Peter Claver said they fully support Pope Leo XIV’s apology for the Catholic Church’s role in slavery, calling it a historic acknowledgment important for healing and reconciliation.
In his first encyclical, released May 25, Leo said the Church took about 18 centuries to clearly and universally condemn slavery and asked pardon “in the name of the Church.”
The document links that reckoning to current risks from artificial intelligence, warning that AI could enable “new forms of slavery” through human trafficking and labor exploitation, including children mining minerals.
Supreme Knight Christopher Pichon Sr. said the historically Black Catholic organization sees the apology as consistent with its mission of justice and human dignity, rooted in the witness of St. Peter Claver.
The statement builds on a 2023 Vatican move distancing the Church from three 15th-century papal bulls tied to the slave trade and the repudiated Doctrine of Discovery.
Beyond its historic apology, what tangible reparations will the Vatican offer for its role in the transatlantic slave trade?
How will the Church’s apology for past slavery shape its fight against the 'new slaveries' it warns are caused by AI?
Pope Leo XIV’s 2026 Encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas”: Apology for Slavery, Church Accountability, and Calls for Reparations
Overview
On May 25, 2026, Pope Leo XIV issued the encyclical 'Magnifica Humanitas,' delivering a historic apology for the Catholic Church's direct role in legitimizing slavery. This apology stands out because it openly recognized how past popes granted European rulers explicit authority to enslave others, moving beyond previous statements that distanced the Church from its actions. By taking collective ownership of its involvement in the trans-Atlantic slave trade and acknowledging its part in the history of white supremacy and ongoing anti-Black racism, the Church has taken a significant step toward truth, healing, and renewed conversations about justice and reparations.