In his first encyclical, Pope Leo XIV apologizes for Vatican role in slavery, discusses dangers of AI
The lengthy new document covers the nature of emerging technology, its effects on respect for human dignity, and the risk of modern bondage.
Slavery
Review: W. Ralph Eubanks' 'When It's Darkness on the Delta' gives context to a national heartland
Rana Irby reviews a new work from a Black Catholic author on his experiences in and understanding of a complicated, misunderstood region.
On pilgrimage to Pierre: New York's holy hairdresser and the quiet revolution
Tulio Huggins reflects on a trip to the tomb of Venerable Pierre Toussaint, one of the nation's seven Black Catholics on the road to sainthood.
As Black Catholics, how must we resist in a time of chaos?
Daryl Grigsby recounts his experience of a recent webinar presenting a new way to work for faith-filled justice amid sociopolitical disarray.
Diocese of Arlington seeks descendants of those enslaved by prominent Virginia Catholic family
The Brent family, linked to early Maryland and Virginia, likely enslaved and buried African Americans at a Virginia property excavated last year.
Black Catholic church in Puerto Rico gets $500k grant for Hurricane Maria repairs
The 194-year-old Iglesia San Mateo de Cangrejos in San Juan, founded by the formerly enslaved, suffered damage during Hurricane Maria in 2017.
The fetters and the font: How slavery complicates Black history at Belmont Abbey College
Matt Memrick recounts how a Benedictine college in North Carolina has interpreted a unique baptismal font—and how the community has responded.
Second national CROSS conference unpacks Catholic slavery, centers descendants at Georgetown
Catholic Religious Organizations Studying Slavery gathered academics, archivists, ministers, and others to reflect on the Church's original sin.
The hidden history of Black Catholic martyrs in America
Nate Tinner-Williams explores a rarely discussed facet of American Catholic holiness, linking stories of sacrifice from across what is now the United States.
Reparations, reconciliation, and restoration: Will the new social justice pope address the cries of Black Catholics?
Tamika Royes on the enduring call for a pontiff who will finally move in the name of justice and recompense for African-Americans.
The power of reckoning: How Catholic Church records can help African Americans uncover their ancestry
Dan Gediman speaks on his work with Reckoning, Inc., and the fight to fully integrate sacramental and other records into the digital landscape.
Where to find a Catholic Juneteenth event (2025 edition)
Our annual listing of Catholic (and Catholic-adjacent) Juneteenth events around the country.
A Louisiana Black Catholic considers Pope Leo XIV
Dr. Darrell St. Romain on the history that has led the Catholic Church to its first American pope, a Creole with a complex family background.
New Trappist meditation garden honors the enslaved in South Carolina
Mepkin Abbey in Moncks Corner planned the new project after discovering unmarked graves believed to belong to enslaved African Americans.
Surviving Catholic clerical sex abuse is not new, and it's not White.
Christopher Gurley on the stories of Black Catholic survivors—a demographic often forgotten in the push to address the Church's living scourge.
Why Black Catholics have stayed despite every reason to leave
Tamika Royes on the mercy of God in the experience of Black Catholics who choose to stay—even when suffering abounds at the hands of the Church.