In the news there are reports of people wanting reparation for their ancestors who were slaves who belonged to Catholic religious organization, orders and individuals. One of these organizations is the Jesuit university of Georgetown in Washington, D.C.
They had slaves at Georgetown and its other properties. Jesuits were sent, with some slaves, as missionaries to other parts of the United States to help with the manual labor needed for the construction of buildings and taking care of farms.
This book is a collection of articles on the topic of slavery and the Catholic Church.
There is an introduction by Archbishop Shelton Fabre of Louisville, Ky., followed by an introduction by editor David Endres, who has two articles. The book is divided into three parts:
“Enslaved Persons and Slaveholders,” which has three articles, including an article on the Jesuits and Georgetown and another on other religious orders having slaves, and slaves owned by Catholics in Kentucky.
“Debating Abolition and Emancipation,” which has an article on Pope Gregory XVI’s condemnation of the slave trade in 1839, an article on Archbishop John Purcell, who opposed slavery, and the third article is on Catholic response to Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. The first article on Pope Gregory’s opposition to the slave trade was new to me and surprising to read how Catholics reacted to it. John F. Quinn says most Catholics and their bishops ignored it.
“Historians and Historiography” has articles about those Catholic historians and others who wrote on the topic.
There are several illustrations, graphs, footnotes, bibliography and an index. The book reveals the sad story of slavery related to Catholics and various institutions. This book shines light upon Pope Gregory XVI’s attempt to end slavery, which was pretty much ignored here in the United States.
This book shows that American Catholics were just like other Americans in regard to slavery. Some owned slaves and some opposed the institution of it.
“Slavery and the Catholic Church in the United States” is quite enlightening on this horrible historical topic. It is an academic presentation of the topic.
Br. Benet Exton, O.S.B., Saint Gregory's Abbey, Shawnee, is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.