Ghana has welcomed an apology by Pope Leo for the Catholic Church’s historical involvement in slavery, describing it as an “act of moral courage”.

The pope’s apology came as part of his first major teaching document, or encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas” (“Magnificent Humanity”). In the letter, Pope Leo asked for a pardon in the name of the Church, stating it was “impossible not to feel deep sorrow when contemplating the immense suffering and humiliation endured by so many”.

Pope Leo acknowledged that Church authorities had, at times, responded to requests from rulers by “regulating and legitimising forms of subjugation, including the enslavement of [non-Christians],” and admitted that “earlier in the Middle Ages, ecclesiastical institutions had their own slaves.” The pontiff added that it was a “wound in Christian memory.”

The Ghanaian government responded with a statement calling it an important step towards “truth, human dignity and justice”.

Historically, Ghana was a major hub for the transatlantic slave trade, and has long advocated for recognition, apology and reparations from Western nations. Between the 16th and 19th centuries, an estimated 12-15 million people were shipped to the Caribbean as slaves, with about two million dying during the journey.

Ghana’s President John Mahama recently led a successful push for a UN resolution recognising the enslavement of Africans as the “gravest crime against humanity”.

The encyclical comes a month after the Pope’s first trip to Africa as pontiff. The four nation visit saw him spend eleven days across Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea.

The pope also used it as a chance to address the dangers of artificial intelligence, saying: "We must seek to build a civilisation of love rather than a culture of power at global and local level. It is the beauty of a human face and voice which makes expressions of love real and warms the human heart."