Pope Leo XIV has issued a historic and formal apology for the Vatican's historical role in legitimizing the global slave trade. He described the Church's centuries-long delay in forcefully condemning slavery as a deep wound in the memory of Christianity.
This marks the first time a sitting pontiff has explicitly acknowledged the direct involvement of past popes in enabling colonialism and human exploitation. During the fifteenth century, the Vatican issued decrees permitting European monarchs to conquer territories and enslave non-Christians.
In his newly released encyclical, the Pope also delivered a stark warning about the emergence of modern forms of slavery driven by advanced technology. He specifically highlighted the severe exploitation of vulnerable workers in the global artificial intelligence supply chain.
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