Pope prays at Catholic shrine in Angola that was a center of African slave trade
MUXIMA, Angola — Pope Leo XIV reflected on the enduring “sorrow and great suffering” experienced by Angolans over centuries as he visited a Catholic shrine located at the site of a significant hub of the African slave trade during Portugal’s colonial rule.
Leo visited the Sanctuary of Mama Muxima in the Angolan savannas, a pilgrimage destination known for an apparition of the Virgin Mary in 1833. The Church of Our Lady of Muxima, built by Portuguese colonizers in the late 16th century, served as a center for the slave trade where enslaved Africans were baptized before being transported to the Americas.
The pope, with enslaved people and slave owners in his ancestry, prayed for a better world free of wars, injustices, poverty, and dishonesty during his visit to the sanctuary.
Muxima’s history highlights the Catholic Church’s role in the slave trade and the forced baptisms of enslaved individuals. Scholars argue that the Holy See has not fully acknowledged or atoned for its involvement.
The visit to Muxima is seen as a moment of healing for Black Catholics, many of whom are descendants of enslaved individuals baptized by Catholic owners.
The Vatican’s historical directives allowing the enslavement of non-Christians by Portuguese colonizers in Angola were discussed, emphasizing the significant role of the Catholic Church in the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
The pope’s visit to Muxima, while commemorating its religious significance, also raises questions about the Church’s past involvement in the slave trade and the need for acknowledgment and apology.
Genealogical research revealing Leo’s ancestral connections to enslaved individuals and slave owners has sparked discussions about identity and heritage within the Catholic Church.
Cardinal Wilton Gregory facilitated a meeting between Leo and genealogist Henry Louis Gates Jr., highlighting the pope’s roots in African American heritage.
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