Pope apologises for Church's delay in condemning slavery

Pope apologises for Vatican's role in justifying slavery

Pope Leo XIV issued a formal apology in "Magnifica Humanitas" for the Vatican's direct role in legitimising slavery during the early modern period, acknowledging the Holy See explicitly regulated enslavement of "infidels" at sovereigns' request. The document also warns against "new forms of slavery" embedded in the digital economy, signalling that institutional accountability for historical complicity is now framing the Church's stance on emerging tech-driven labor and governance issues.