Wherever Christian customs and lawsare in force, wherever religion establishes that men serve justice and honorhuman dignity, wherever the spirit of brotherly love taught by Christ spreadsitself, there neither slavery nor savage barbarism can exist. We arethe more concerned about this because those who have received this light havealso shaken off the yoke of human slavery. This teaching should bathe thoseinhabitants living in darkness and blind superstition with the light of divinetruth, by which they can become co-heirs with Us of the kingdom of God. Besides protecting freedom, another more serious apostolic concern orders Usto spread the teaching of the Gospel in Africa. We strenuously pray that almighty God might give a happy outcome to thedeliberations they have begun.ģ. Therefore, with the occasion once againgiven, We praise and thank the leaders of Europe for their efforts in thismatter. They clearly showed how muchforce and persistence they would use to defend the Negro cause, how manydifficulties oppress these slaves. There was a meeting not long ago in Brusselsfor the representatives of European leaders, and more recently a group ofprivate citizens met in Paris for the same purpose. Secular leaders and Catholics from the whole world, everybody who deemsholy the natural rights of people, struggle to discover the rationale and meansto eradicate this inhuman commerce. He in His goodness did not allow Our efforts to go unrewarded.Rather, He planted them in fertile soil, like a seed which promises a joyfulharvest. He is to show how shameful this base dealingis and to incline the leaders and citizens to assist this miserable race.Therefore, We should feel grateful to Christ our Lord, the most loving Redeemerof all nations. For this reasonWe have immediately delegated the task of going to the principal countries ofEurope to Our beloved son Charles Martial Cardinal Lavigerie, whose swiftnessand apostolic zeal are well known. These eyewitness reports have beenconfirmed by recent explorers to equatorial Africa, arousing Our desire to helpthose wretched men and to alleviate their lamentable condition. How horrible it is to recall that almost four hundred thousand Africans of every age and sex are forcefully taken away each year from their villages! Bound and beaten, they are transported to a foreignland, put on display, and sold like cattle. We were bitterly afflicted by accounts of the trials which harass all the inhabitants of the African interior. While writing, We were deeply moved by the plight of those who are subject to the mastery of another. At the same time We showed how much slavery opposes religion and human dignity. In it We rejoiced over their exemplary accomplishments, both private and public, in the area of emancipation. We worked toward this goal in a letter sent to the bishops of Brazil on May 5, 1888. For this reason, We have taken every occasion to openly condemn this gloomy plague of slavery. We could not repudiate such a laudable inheritance. They also took care lest the seeds of slavery return to those places from which this evil institution had been cut away.Ģ. They applied every effort to eliminate the institution of slavery wherever it existed. Gregory the Great, Hadrian I, Alexander III, Innocent III, Gregory IX, Pius II, Leo X, Paul III, Urban VIII, Benedict XIV, Pius VII, and Gregory XVI stand out. There are incontestable historical documents whichattest to that fact, documents which commended to posterity the names of many of Our predecessors. This zeal of the Church for liberating the slaves has notlanguished with the passage of time on the contrary, the more it bore fruit,the more eagerly it glowed. In this way He put national prosperity and civilization in generalinto His debt.
Of course, pressing constantly with prudence andplanning, He showed what He was striving for in the name of religion, justice,and humanity.
He assumed theneglected cause of the slaves and showed Himself the strong champion of freedom.Insofar as time and circumstances allowed, He gradually and moderatelyaccomplished His goal. FromHim we recall that everybody has sprung from the same source, was redeemed bythe same ransom, and is called to the same eternal happiness. It is the industriousguardian of the teachings of its Founder who, by His words and those of theapostles, taught men the fraternal necessity which unites the whole world. As you know,venerable brother, the Church from the beginning sought to completely eliminateslavery, whose wretched yoke has oppressed many people. The maternal love of the Catholic Church embraces all people.
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