Pope Leo XIV, on his seventh day of an 11-day apostolic journey to Africa, presided over Sunday Mass in Kilamba, Angola, urging citizens to combat the “scourge of corruption.” His message resonated deeply in a nation still scarred by conflict and economic disparity, according to attendees. Later, the American pontiff visited the Sanctuary of Mama Muxima, a Catholic shrine with a history as a major hub for the 16th-century transatlantic slave trade.
In Kilamba, a sprawling development about 25 kilometers south of Luanda, Pope Leo XIV delivered a homily before an estimated 100,000 people. He spoke plainly about the challenges facing Angola, a nation rich in minerals but plagued by internal strife. "We wish to build a country where old divisions are overcome once and for all, where hatred and violence disappear, and where the scourge of corruption is healed by a new culture of justice and sharing," Leo stated, as reported by AP News. His words directly addressed the exploitation of Angola's natural resources and its people, who carry the heavy burden of a brutal post-independence civil war.
This call for justice extends beyond mere rhetoric. What this actually means for your family, particularly for those struggling to make ends meet, is a direct challenge to the systems that divert national wealth away from public services and into private pockets. It is a plea for transparent governance and equitable distribution, crucial for ordinary Angolans whose daily lives are impacted by these systemic issues.
The policy says one thing about national prosperity; the reality says another about its distribution. Later that Sunday, the Pope traveled to the Sanctuary of Mama Muxima, a significant Catholic shrine situated approximately 110 kilometers south of Luanda, on the edge of the Kwanza River. Here, he celebrated the Rosary prayer.
The Church of Our Lady of Muxima, originally constructed by Portuguese colonizers in the late 16th century as part of a fortress, holds a complex and painful history. It functioned as a collection point where enslaved Africans were baptized by Portuguese priests before being forced onto ships bound for the Americas, as detailed by historical accounts. This visit to Muxima holds a particular weight for Pope Leo XIV.
Genealogical research indicates that the first U.S.-born pope's ancestors include both enslaved individuals and slave owners. This personal connection brings a unique dimension to his presence at a site so emblematic of the Catholic Church's historical entanglement with the slave trade. The history here is palpable.
Anthea Butler, a senior fellow at the Koch Center, Oxford University, highlighted the significance of this moment for Black Catholics. "For Black Catholics, Pope Leo's visit to the Muxima shrine is an an important moment of healing," Butler told The Associated Press. She explained that many Black Catholics trace their faith roots to slavery, referencing the "Code Noir," which mandated baptism for enslaved people bought by Catholic owners. Other enslaved individuals were already Catholic when they were trafficked from Angola to slave-holding colonies, Butler added.
Her own maternal family hails from Louisiana, a region connected to the Pope's ancestry. Angola's Portuguese colonizers operated with backing from 15th-century Vatican directives. These directives had authorized the enslavement of non-Christians.
A papal bull issued in 1452 by Pope Nicholas V, titled *Dum Diversas*, granted the Portuguese king and his successors the authority to "invade, conquer, fight and subjugate" and seize all possessions—including land—from "Saracens, and pagans, and other infidels, and enemies of the name of Christ" anywhere, according to the Rev. Christopher J. Kellerman.
Kellerman, a Jesuit priest and author of *All Oppression Shall Cease: A History of Slavery, Abolitionism, and the Catholic Church*, noted this bull also permitted the Portuguese "to reduce their persons to perpetual slavery."
This bull, alongside another issued three years later, *Romanus Pontifex*, established the foundation of the Doctrine of Discovery. This theory legitimized the colonial-era seizure of land across Africa and the Americas. It also justified the practice of slavery.
The Vatican formally repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery in 2023. However, it has not formally rescinded, abrogated, or rejected the specific bulls themselves. The Vatican maintains that a later bull, *Sublimis Deus* in 1537, reaffirmed that Indigenous peoples should not be deprived of their liberty or property and were not to be enslaved.
This distinction remains a point of contention for many. Kellerman pointed out that most of the 12.5 million Africans directly affected by the trans-Atlantic slave trade were sold into slavery by other Africans, not captured by Europeans. "That being said, at the time of the building of Muxima, the Portuguese were doing both — buying enslaved people and colonizing/slave raiding," Kellerman communicated in emailed comments to The Associated Press. "So they were fully using their papal permissions during this time." This illustrates the complex web of complicity and power at play. The first pope to condemn slavery itself was Pope Leo XIII, the current pontiff's namesake and inspiration, through two encyclicals in 1888 and 1890.
Yet, Kellerman observed that this pope and subsequent ones have often perpetuated a "false narrative" claiming the Holy See was always against slavery, despite historical records indicating otherwise. This historical gap presents a challenge. While Pope Leo XIV's visit to Muxima honored its role as a shrine, Kellerman expressed a hope that the visit would also allow Leo to gain further understanding of the slave trade's history. "The popes repeatedly authorized Portugal's colonization efforts in Africa and Portuguese participation in the slave trade, but the Vatican has never fully admitted this," Kellerman stated.
He added, "It would be so powerful if at some point Pope Leo were to apologize for the popes' role in the trade." Previous pontiffs have offered apologies. During a 1985 visit to Cameroon, St. John Paul II asked Africans for forgiveness for the slave trade.
In 1992, at Goree Island, Senegal, a major slave-trading center, he denounced slavery as an injustice and called it a "tragedy of a civilization that called itself Christian."
Henry Louis Gates Jr., a Harvard University professor and host of the PBS series "Finding Your Roots," published genealogical research indicating 17 of Leo's American ancestors were Black, identified in census records as mulatto, Black, Creole, or free people of color. His family tree includes both slaveholders and enslaved individuals, Gates reported in an essay for The New York Times. Gates presented his findings to Pope Leo during a July 5 audience at the Vatican, where, according to The Harvard Gazette, "The pope asked about ancestors, both Black and white, who were enslavers."
Pope Leo has not publicly discussed his family heritage or the Gates research. Some Black Catholic scholars remain hesitant to impose a narrative about his identity that he has not yet publicly addressed. "It's important that we tell our own stories," said Tia Noelle Pratt, a sociologist of religion and professor at Villanova University, the Pope's alma mater. Pratt, author of *Faithful and Devoted: Racism and Identity in the African-American Catholic Experience*, believes imposing a narrative on him would be "completely inappropriate" without his own public statements.
Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the retired archbishop of Washington and the first African American cardinal, expressed his satisfaction at having facilitated the encounter between Gates and the Pope. "It's one of the things that I think for many African Americans and people of color, they identify with great pride the pope has roots in our own heritage," Gregory remarked. "And I think he's happy about that too, because it's another link to the people that he tries to serve and is called to serve." Both sides claim victory in this sense; the pride in heritage and the call to serve converge. Why It Matters: Pope Leo XIV's visit to Angola, particularly his stop at the Muxima shrine, connects centuries of history to present-day concerns. For working families in Angola, his message against corruption offers a sliver of hope for a more equitable future.
For Black Catholics globally, the Pope's personal heritage and his presence at a site of such historical pain represent a complex moment of recognition and potential healing. The visit forces a confrontation with the uncomfortable truths of the Church's past, prompting vital conversations about accountability and reconciliation that affect communities far beyond Angola's borders. - Pope Leo XIV urged Angolans to fight corruption and exploitation during Sunday Mass in Kilamba. - He later visited the Sanctuary of Mama Muxima, a Catholic shrine with a history as a transatlantic slave trade hub. - Genealogical research reveals Pope Leo XIV has both enslaved and slave-owning ancestors. - Scholars call for the Vatican to offer a full apology for the Church's historical role in the slave trade. The remainder of Pope Leo XIV's 11-day apostolic journey to Africa will continue to draw international attention.
Observers will watch closely for any further statements from the pontiff regarding his family heritage or the Church's historical role in slavery, particularly as he concludes his visit. The discussions surrounding the Vatican's past directives and their repudiation will likely continue, shaping future dialogues on reconciliation and justice within the global Catholic community and beyond. What happens next could set a new precedent for how historical injustices are addressed.
Key Takeaways
— - Pope Leo XIV urged Angolans to fight corruption and exploitation during Sunday Mass in Kilamba.
— - He later visited the Sanctuary of Mama Muxima, a Catholic shrine with a history as a transatlantic slave trade hub.
— - Genealogical research reveals Pope Leo XIV has both enslaved and slave-owning ancestors.
— - Scholars call for the Vatican to offer a full apology for the Church's historical role in the slave trade.
Source: AP News