While some of Leo XIV's predecessors acknowledged the participation of Christians in slavery, this is the first time a Pope has publicly apologised for the direct role played by the Catholic Church as an institution and also in the legitimisation of slavery.

Throughout history, "the Roman Apostolic See, at the request of sovereigns, has intervened on several occasions to regulate and legitimise the methods of subjugation and, in some cases, enslavement of 'infidels'," wrote the American Pope in the encyclical "Magnifica Humanitas" (Magnificent Humanity), now released.

"We cannot deny or minimise the delay with which the Church and society condemned the scourge of slavery," he added.

In his first major work, dedicated in particular to the ethical challenges posed by artificial intelligence (AI), the Pope also denounced "new forms of slavery" operating behind the digital economy. The Catholic Church "tolerated slavery for a long time and only later began to condemn it absolutely," he said, adding that this is "a wound in Christian memory" to which the Vatican cannot consider itself indifferent.

"Therefore, in the name of the Church, I sincerely ask forgiveness," said Leo XIV.

"It is inevitable to feel a profound sadness when considering the enormous suffering and humiliation that slavery represented for so many people, infinitely loved by the Lord, in contrast to their unlimited dignity," the Pope observed.