In September 1987, St. John Paul II visited the United States and gave an address to the Black Catholic community of New Orleans. During his speech, he recognized the unique gifts that Black Catholics share and also the tremendous contributions of this community to the Church. Most notable, however, are the statements he made seeking forgiveness for the Catholic Church's participation in slavery. The pope used the opportunity to make a long-overdue acknowledgement: The Church needs to atone for sins aimed decisively at the Black community in the Americas.
The need for reparations and forgiveness has become an important discussion in the Canadian Catholic Church. Its history of abuse and exploitation of Indigenous peoples has become more widely known, and the Church was called to respond in several ways. One such occasion occurred during the 2022 visit of Pope Francis, who formally acknowledged their suffering, condemning the role of the Church in residential schools. These institutions were linked to the traumatic dismantling of Indigenous communities, which has had generational implications. Francis was aware that the pain of this community could no longer go unaddressed by the Church.
The Catholic Church has also made formal statements condemning slavery. It is well worth noting that the position of the Catholic Church in understanding slavery was an ongoing process. Initially, in the 15th century, Pope Nicholas V created a pathway for the “Doctrine of Discovery,” which has had disastrous implications. Once it was clear that enslavement was not in accord with the Gospel, the Church became a moral compass condemning this abuse. Unfortunately, statements from the Vatican are not always received locally, nor do they tend to change hearts and minds. Racism toward Black people has not ceased to exist in the United States or Canada. It can be found in other countries as well, especially in Latin America. Each of these regions benefited from the enslavement of Africans in the plantation economies of old.
During the Industrial Revolution, Pope Leo XIII made clear the teaching of the Church on the dignity of human work. His encyclical “Rerum Novarum” is seen as the birth of Catholic social teaching. Currently, we have a pope who has named himself in honor of Leo XIII and who will likely carry on his legacy. There are new challenges today, and the world is rapidly changing. However, healing and reparations have not been made a priority by the Church to make amends with Black Catholics.
Previous popes like Pope Paul III have condemned slavery, and St. John Paul II even declared it “intrinsically evil.” As the latter wrote in “Veritatis Splendor” in 1993:
“The Church teaches that ‘there exist acts which per se and in themselves, independently of circumstances, are always seriously wrong by reason of their object.’ The Second Vatican Council itself, in discussing the respect due to the human person, gives a number of examples of such acts… ‘whatever is offensive to human dignity, such as subhuman living conditions, arbitrary imprisonment, deportation, slavery… all these and the like are a disgrace.’”
In the 20th century, the idea of public and official apology for slavery in the New World seems to have become more likely. However, making a formal apology and actively seeking to offer reparations and reconciliation are not one and the same. Will Pope Leo XIV become an advocate of justice, reconciliation, and reparations among the Black community, beginning with the U.S. Catholic Church? Presently, this is the moment where the Church can build a bridge on the road to forgiveness, with the recognition of harm committed by the Church and the willingness to become an active agent in the process of healing.
Pope Francis, speaking of the murder of George Floyd in 2020, commented on the “sin of racism” during a Wednesday audience in June 2020. Formal acknowledgment is the first step towards healing, and the Catholic Church is on the road to healing with the Black community, Catholics and non-Catholics alike. In parishes nationwide, homilies that acknowledge the participation of the Church in slavery and denounce racism should be ongoing and frequent. Acknowledgments should also be made on feast days of Black saints, and on special occasions like Emancipation Day, Juneteenth, and the like. This, of course, should also become natural for the Vatican.
Any apology forthcoming should be made publicly and insist that the offender (in this case, the Church itself) work toward reparations, reconciliation, and restoration. Here I will offer some ideas of what I would like to see from our current pontiff to speak directly to Black Catholics.
Forgiveness is a core teaching of the Catholic Church and the wider Christian tradition. Obviously, any apology is a petition for forgiveness. Pope Leo XIV has an opportunity, however, to go beyond and demonstrate the importance of reparations towards Black Catholics. In some instances, reparations may include financial compensation or the (re)naming of places and landmarks to deemphasize grave evildoers and highlight theBlack Catholic experience. The pope can make this a special and ongoing mandate within the U.S. Catholic Church, one place where human exploitation and slavery occurred. The laity can also participate alongside the Church in repairing historical wrongs and contemporary sufferings.
In order to have reconciliation, the pope can make himself an example and offer acknowledgment, which should also include listening to the Black Catholic experience. The community is often overlooked, and our rich heritage and scholarship tend to be diminished. Thus, attentive listening, perhaps using the synodal approach of “conversations in the Spirit,” will be of benefit.
Finally, how can restoration occur in the face of such a grievous crime? Millions of Africans were forcibly brought to plantations in the United States, Central and Latin America, the larger Caribbean, and Canada. The Catholic Church itself participated in the forcible confinement and exploitation of enslaved people. Emphasis on restoration would include following through with a greater awareness of Black Catholics. Restoration should be an ongoing process of listening, discerning, and deciding how best to work out the healing of a community so long ignored. Pope Leo XIV may already have this awareness, which would provide the Church an opportunity on the world stage to truly demonstrate Christian forgiveness and social justice.
Catholic social teaching obviously affirms the dignity of the human person. Therefore, the Black Catholic experience is vitally important to the life of the Church. Black Catholics in the United States are eagerly anticipating the first African-American beatified person or saint. However, this will not erase the need to actually “do the work” of truly restoring Black Catholics in the Church.
It is not uncommon that I am questioned about my willingness to worship in a Church that has a history of enslaving people who look like me. I am very attuned to the reality that at certain points even in the history of Canada, I could have been exploited for the benefit of someone else simply because of my Blackness. The Catholic Church has a moral obligation, in a manner unlike any other human organization, to uphold human rights and the dignity of the human person. This is sound Catholic teaching and the heart of the Gospel of Jesus.
Black Catholics deserve recognition for the wrongs that have been perpetrated against them, and for the ways that Black Catholics are still excluded today. This pontificate could become one of great forgiveness and a witness to the Christian faith not by formal apologies alone, but by walking through all the steps of reconciliation.
Pope Leo XIV has a chance to extend fellowship to Black Catholics, especially in a time of such polarization and division within and outside the Church. Apologies begin the healing process, but they are empty without concrete steps to demonstrate sincerity. Pope Leo XIV can step in continuity with his predecessor, the “social justice pope,” and tackle this issue. Black Catholicism has its own identity in the Church and healing is a process—one the Church should participate in at all levels with all persons.
Tamika Royes has fifteen years of experience in the social services sector in various roles. She has been a tireless advocate of justice causes, beginning in high school. She is currently pursuing a post-graduate certificate at Assumption University.
