The truth about the Catholic Church and slavery

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The article was very defensive of the Catholic Church regarding slavery. Surprisingly so, considering that it was in a non-Catholic magazine.

An interesting point was the lack of authority wielded by the Vatican in those times. So little, in fact, the the first bishop in our diocese and at least one of his successors owned one or more slaves.
 
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Sirach14:
This has been hashed over before, but this is a good article by Christianity Today.
The article you mentioned was quite favorable. Here is an opposing view from a Conference at Yale University on Slavery.:
http://www.yale.edu/glc/events/race/Sweet.pdf#search='dum%20d iversas%20nicholas%20v

Also there was a controversial bull on slavery by Pope Nicholas V:

Nicholas V, Dum Diversas, 1452/54: “We grant you [Kings of Spain and Portugal] by these present documents, with our Apostolic authority, full and free permission to invade, search out, capture, and subjugate the Saracens and pagans and any other unbelievers and enemies of Christ wherever they may be, as well as their kingdoms, duchies, counties, principalities, and other property.and to reduce their persons into perpetual slavery.”
 
Alfredo, could you please give me the link where you read the bull so that I may read your excerpt in context.
 
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yinekka:
Alfredo, could you please give me the link where you read the bull.
I don’t find the bull Dum Divesas on line.

Here is a link to Romanus Pontifex which I think contains the following quote mentioning reducing people to perpetual slavery:

“We [therefore] weighing all and singular the premises with due meditation, and noting that since we had formerly by other letters of ours granted among other things free and ample faculty to the aforesaid King Alfonso – to invade, search out, capture, vanquish, and subdue all Saracens and pagans whatsoever, and other enemies of Christ wheresoever placed, and the kingdoms, dukedoms, principalities, dominions, possessions, and all movable and immovable goods whatsoever held and possessed by them and to reduce their persons to perpetual slavery,”

nativeweb.org/nativelaw/…s-pontifex.html

The following is a link to an article from a Yale U. conference:

http://www.yale.edu/glc/events/race/Sweet.pdf
 
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