The Popes and Slavery [Paperback]

Joel S. Panzer (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 138 pages
• Publisher: Alba House (October 16, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0818907649
• ISBN-13: 978-0818907647
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,248,980 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #27 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Sociology

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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Just titles and unjust slavery, April 3, 2010

By 

Ashtar Command "Seeker" (Stockholm, Sweden) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Popes and Slavery (Paperback)

The Catholic Church didn't condemn all forms of slavery until 1890, when Pope Leo XIII issued his encyclical "Catholicae Ecclesiae". In other words, the condemnation of all forms of slavery came very late in Church history, at a point in time when abolitionism had already succeeded in the Western world.

The author of this book, Father Joel S. Panzer, attempts to prove that the Church condemned slavery much earlier. Panzer is not very successful in his endeavour. Quite the contrary. Several of the documents he quotes prove the exact opposite: that the Catholic Church as late as the 19th century did indeed defend certain kinds of slavery.

The author points out, quite correctly, that some forms of servitude were considered legitimate before the victories of the abolitionist movement. He also concedes that the Church never condemned servitude with a "just title" until 1890. But since this kind of servitude is really also a form of slavery, this simply confirms what the critics of the Catholic Church have been saying all along, i.e. that Leo XIII was the first pope to unhesitatingly condemn *all* forms of slavery.

Panzer has located a number of documents concerning slavery issued by various pontiffs. The earliest one is "Sicut Dudum" from 1435, issued by Pope Eugene IV. I don't deny that the document is admirable: the pope in question condemns, in no uncertain terms, the genocidal butchering of the Guanchos, the native inhabitants of the Canary Islands. Another remarkable document is "Sublimis Deus" from 1537, issued by Paul III. It prohibits the enslavement of American Indians and Filipinos. Paul III threatens those involved in slavery with excommunication. The encyclical angered the slave-traders, and eventually the pope was forced to withdraw his encyclical (or at least the threat of excommunication).

Both "Sicut Dudum" and "Sublimis Deus" are an improvement upon the medieval position of the Catholic Church, which prohibited the enslavement of Christians, but not of pagans, Jews or Muslims. Both Eugene IV and Paul III prohibit the enslavement of peoples who are still pagans (perhaps for missionary reasons). Unfortunately, there are still loopholes in these documents. What about "just title" slavery? Was slavery abolished in the papal states? Did the papal see take any action against the innumerable number of Catholics (including members of the hierarchy) who broke these prohibitions?

That the Catholic Church had nothing against slavery as such, is proven by Instruction 1293, issued in 1866 under the pontificate of Pius IX by the Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office. The instruction deals with slavery in Ethiopia. The document prohibits Christians from buying slaves who legitimately belongs to others, since this would be like stealing property. It further says that Christians have the right to buy slaves who have been illicitly enslaved, provided that these give their consent. However, the instruction doesn't tell the new owner to free the slave. No, it gives the Christian buyer the right to keep the slave in his own servitude! Naturally, the Christian owner is to treat the slave with "charity", instruct him in the "Faith", and so on. That's what they always say, isn't it? The document further states that native Christians and foreign missionaries have the right to search for and apprehend fugitive slaves, provided that these have been enslaved "justly". Those who have been "unjustly" enslaved, however, have the right to flee, although the Sacred Congregation believes that the question is a difficult one to answer. Indeed! The author of the document, presumably a papal secretary, explicitly states that slavery as such isn't against natural or divine law. Interestingly, a large part of Instruction 1293 is modelled on an earlier document, Instruction 515 from 1776, dealing with slavery in Cambodia.

"The Popes and Slavery" is worth buying for the documents it excerpts or quotes. They are presented in both Latin and English. However, as an analysis, is falls far short. It doesn't explain why Eugene IV and Paul III suddenly saw the light concerning the Guanchos, the Indians and Filipinos. It doesn't have an exhaustive discussion about the difference between "just" and "unjust" titles.

Above all, however, it fails to prove that the Catholic Church took a firm stand against all forms of slavery before 1890.

Despite the admirable efforts of individual Catholics, or even individual pontiffs, the record of the Catholic Church on slavery is nevertheless too little, too late.

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars good book, July 6, 2003

By 

Frank Parrinello (San Jacinto, California United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Popes and Slavery (Paperback)

Panzer does a fine job clearing up many misconceptions that have been spread about the Catholic Church throughout its history.

12 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good sources, dishonest scholarship., December 21, 2001

By 

Matthew W. Dunn "Matthew W. I. Dunn" (Sparta, N.J. USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Popes and Slavery (Paperback)

Used as a sourcebook for documents by the Catholic Church on the slave trade, this is great. Fr. Joel Panzer gives the original Latin with translations of major statements by popes regarding slavery for the last 400 years. So, for that the book is invaluable. His dishonesty, however, shows forth in his interpretation of those documents. To take one example: Whereas he mentions the work of the Catholic priest, Bartolomeo de las Casas, in ending the enslavement of the indigenous peoples by the Spanish colonists, Fr. Panzer is completely silent about De las Casas' suggestion that Africans be used as slaves instead. Fr. Panzer is quite correct in pointing out the difference between slavery a la' indentured servitude and the slave trade PER SE. The former was not necessarily opposed by the Church, while the latter was indeed condemned. Fr. Panzer tries to nuance the primary sources he uses to favor the Catholic Church -- and, that is the weakness of his book. Get it if you want to have most of the original documents from the Roman Catholic Church on the subject. Just don't expect scholarship from Fr. Joel Panzer.