Pope prays at Catholic shrine in Angola that was a center of African slave trade

The Challenges of Pope's Visit to Catholic Shrine in Angola that was a Cent
Center of African Slave Trade

Pope Leo XIV's visit to the Sanctuary of Mama Muxima in Angola serves as a 
poignant reminder of the complex and often troubled history between the Cat
Catholic Church and the slave trade. The shrine, located on the site of an 
important hub of the African slave trade during Portugal's colonial rule, h
has been a major pilgrimage destination since believers reported an appeara
appearance by the Virgin Mary around 1833.

As Pope Leo prayed at the simple whitewashed church with blue trim and a st
statue of the Madonna inside, he recalled that it was here where, for cent
centuries, many men and women have prayed in times of joy and also in momen
moments of sorrow and great suffering in the history of this country. Howe
However, his words did not directly address the dark legacy of slavery that
that has long haunted the Church.

The Role of Papal Bulls in the Slave Trade

Angola's Portuguese colonizers were emboldened by 15th-century directives f
from the Vatican that authorized them to enslave non-Christians. In 1452, P
Pope Nicholas V issued the papal bull Dum Diversas, which gave the Portugue
Portuguese king and his successors the right to invade, conquer, fight and
and subjugate and take all possessions – including land – of Saracens, an
and pagans, and other infidels, and enemies of the name of Christ. The bul
bull also gave the Portuguese permission to reduce their persons to perpet
perpetual slavery.

This papal authorization formed the basis of the Doctrine of Discovery, whi
which legitimized the colonial-era seizure of land in Africa and the Americ
Americas. While the Vatican formally repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery i
in 2023, it never formally rescinded or rejected the bulls themselves.

The Implications of Pope Leo's Visit

Pope Leo's visit to Muxima serves as a reminder that the Church's role in t
the slave trade is still a subject of controversy and healing. Many Black C
Catholics are Catholic because of slavery and the Code Noir, which requir
required slaves purchased by Catholic owners to be baptized in the church.

For some, Pope Leo's visit is an opportunity for healing and reconciliation
reconciliation. Others are wary of imposing a narrative about his identity 
that he himself has not yet addressed. Tia Noelle Pratt, a sociologist of r
religion and professor at Villanova University, notes that it's important 
that we tell our own stories and that imposing anything on the pope would 
be completely inappropriate.

The Challenges of Overcoming

Pope Leo's visit to Muxima is a reminder that the path to healing and recon
reconciliation is complex and often fraught with challenge. It requires ack
acknowledging and confronting the painful history of slavery, while also wo
working towards a better, more welcoming world.

As Pope Leo urged the estimated 30,000 people gathered outside to build a 
better, more welcoming world, where there are no more wars, no injustices, 
no poverty, no dishonesty, he acknowledged that the journey ahead would be
be long and arduous. However, by praying at the site of this painful histor
history, Pope Leo is taking a crucial step towards healing and reconciliati
reconciliation.

Keywords Catholic Church, Angola, slave trade, papal bulls, Doctrine o
of Discovery, Black Catholics

Edward Lance Arellano Lorilla

CEO / Co-Founder

Enjoy the little things in life. For one day, you may look back and realize they were the big things. Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.