Slavery Archives

Faith made Harriet Tubman fearless as she rescued slaves

Dec 3, 2019

Millions of people voted in an online poll in 2015 to have the face of Harriet Tubman on the US$20 bill. But many might not have known the story of her life as chronicled in a recent film, “Harriet.”

By Robert Gudmestad

Pope tells Thailand’s Catholics to be ‘missionary disciples’ not ‘mercenaries of faith’

Nov 21, 2019

Speaking to some 60,000 members of Thailand’s tiny Catholic community, Pope Francis on Thursday called them to be missionary disciples, explaining that being a “mercenary of the faith” does not compel others to convert.

By Inés San Martín

Church’s historic ties to slavery examined at Independence Day conference

Jul 11, 2019

Independence Day took on a special poignancy at a conference for African American Catholics held a few miles from the nation’s capital, as participants at a July 4 workshop reflected on the Catholic Church’s connection to what has been called the country’s original sin — slavery.

By Mark Zimmermann, CNS

Georgetown students vote for student fee to pay reparations over slavery

Apr 14, 2019

Undergraduate students at Jesuit-run Georgetown University voted overwhelmingly April 11 to pay a new student fee that would be for reparations to the descendants of slaves owned and later sold by the school.

By Catholic News Service

Josephine Bakhita enters the ranks of the superstar saints

Feb 10, 2019

Josephine Bakhita shared the saga of her time in slavery, waking people up to the evils of human trafficking and other offenses against human dignity.

By Father Jeffrey F. Kirby

Denver celebrates Mass on 100th anniversary of Julia Greeley’s death

Jun 10, 2018

The Archdiocese of Denver hosted a special Mass on Thursday in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the death of Julia Greeley, who is the first person from Colorado to be proposed for sainthood.

By Perry West