Church long condemned slavery

Dr Vincent Couling’s letter “The Church has changed its tune” (October 15-21), refers.

As far back as 585, Church council documents record that bishops could sell Church property to buy the freedom of slaves. By 625, the wording was stronger: if a bishop sold Church property, including even the sacred vessels, he was suspended, unless these things were sold for the redemption of slaves.

In 873 Pope John VIII told Sardinians that they “incur a great sin” if they do not let slaves go free.

Between 1159 and 1187, Pope Alexander III was credited with finally abolishing slavery in Christian Europe by none other than Voltaire (1694-1798), who hated the Church.

In 1435 Pope Eugene IV published a bull which stated that within 15 days of the posting of the bull, anyone who “owned” any people and did not immediately act to restore them to their freedom, property and former status, was to be excommunicated.

The intentions of the bull were to condemn the idea that black people were not human, and to reiterate that all humans have souls and have the right to liberty. Enslavement itself was referred to as “illicit” and “evil”.

Note that this was 60 years before Columbus sailed, when a new, uglier form of slavery (racial) would develop to “stock” the Americas with abundant labour.

In 1537 Pope Paul III explicitly attributed slavery to Satan.

In 1591 Pope Gregory XIV ordered that reparation be made to the Indians of the Philippines by their conquerors under pain of excommunication; that all Indian slaves in the islands should be set free.

In 1839 Pope Gregory XVI similarly condemned slavery in all its forms, including racial slavery and the slave trade. This was not well received by the US bishops of the South, and was misinterpreted as meaning that slave trading was condemned but slavery itself was permissable.

Today some Catholics still quote this misinterpretation as “proof” that the Church can change its stand on morals.

Dr Jimmy John, Johannesburg