Acknowledging the Shame of Slavery

 "Slave Chain with Four Yokes" from the Dexue voodoo convent in Adounko, Benin, dating from the 19th century at the Memorial ACTe, the Caribbean Centre of Expression and Memory of Slavery and the Slave Trade, in Point-a-Pitre, May 8, 2015. © 2015 Nicolas Derne/AFP via Getty Images

This past week there was plenty to catch our attention in the news, everything from Pope Leo's newly released encyclical, to the spreading Ebola outbreak in Africa, to the peace deal/not a peace deal between the United States and Iran.

There were two significant acknowledgements that probably flew under the radar in the news feed. One was the recognition by France of the nation's complicity in the international slave trade in earlier centuries and the possibility of reparations. According to Human Rights Watch:

French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the need for reparations in connection with France’s role in the transatlantic slave trade on May 21.

Macron said that reparations for enslavement crimes should no longer be ignored. He also warned against “false promises,” Emphasizing that the legacy of enslavement could never be fully repaired because it was “impossible.” Macron backed the symbolic repeal of the never-abolished “Code Noir,” which were royal decrees from the 17th and 18th century that governed enslavement in French colonies.

Other European nations including Great Britain are grappling with complicity in the horrendous trade in human beings and the need to support initiatives to compensate the descendants of those who were enslaved, as complicated as that might be. King Charles has addressed the shame of the royal family accruing wealth through slavery. 

The other acknowledgement was by Pope Leo within the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas who apologized for the involvement of the Roman Catholic Church in slavery through the centuries. He named  the "regulating and legitimising forms of subjugation, including the enslavement of of [non-Christians]" by the church. He also acknowledged that earlier in the Middle Ages, ecclesiastical institutions had their own slaves. Pope Leo sincerely asked for a pardon in the name of the Church, adding that it was "impossible not to feel deep sorrow when contemplating the immense suffering and humiliation endured by so many".

Not long ago I wrote about the initiative  of the Church of England to raise money for a slavery reparations fund, controversial within the denomination which also benefitted from the slave trade. 

Pope Leo visited African nations recently. Did this trip prompt the inclusion of the apology in the encyclical? The BBC reports:

Ghana said the Pope's acknowledgment of the "painful history" was significant, at a time the world was having a "deeper reflection" on the effects of slavery and colonialism. The country successfully pushed for a UN resolution in March, which recognised the enslavement of Africans as the "gravest crime against humanity".

All these public statements and efforts toward compensation are important if they are honest and lead to results in the lives of those who continue to be affected, both individuals and nations. We'll see.