Actions of the Present Pope

2. We could not repudiate such a laudable inheritance. For this reason, We have taken every occasion to openly condemn this gloomy plague of slavery. We worked toward this goal in a letter sent to the bishops of Brazil on May 5, 1888. In it We rejoiced over their exemplary accomplishments, both private and public, in the area of emancipation. At the same time We showed how much slavery opposes religion and human dignity. While writing, We were deeply moved by the plight of those who are subject to the mastery of another. We were bitterly afflicted by accounts of the trials which harass all the inhabitants of the African interior. 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 foreign land, put on display, and sold like cattle. These eyewitness reports have been confirmed by recent explorers to equatorial Africa, arousing Our desire to help those wretched men and to alleviate their lamentable condition. For this reason We have immediately delegated the task of going to the principal countries of Europe to Our beloved son Charles Martial Cardinal Lavigerie, whose swiftness and apostolic zeal are well known. He is to show how shameful this base dealing is and to incline the leaders and citizens to assist this miserable race. Therefore, We should feel grateful to Christ our Lord, the most loving Redeemer of all nations. 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 joyful harvest. Secular leaders and Catholics from the whole world, everybody who deems holy the natural rights of people, struggle to discover the rationale and means to eradicate this inhuman commerce. There was a meeting not long ago in Brussels for the representatives of European leaders, and more recently a group of private citizens met in Paris for the same purpose. They clearly showed how much force and persistence they would use to defend the Negro cause, how many difficulties oppress these slaves. Therefore, with the occasion once again given, We praise and thank the leaders of Europe for their efforts in this matter. We strenuously pray that almighty God might give a happy outcome to the deliberations they have begun.