Peru Pope Afro Peruvians

Pope Leo XIV has denounced the “suffering and humiliation” endured by African enslaved people as he made a tangible show of remorse in Peru following his historic apology for the Holy See’s own role in legitimizing the African slave trade in the Americas. The U.S.-born Leo, whose own family tree includes enslaved people and slave owners, delivered the remarks in the northern Peruvian city of Zaña, a UNESCO-recognized memorial site of slavery and a center of the Afro-Peruvian community today. In remarks to the community, Leo said Zaña “preserves the memory of generations of Africans who were torn from their homes and subjected to slavery.”