Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1856-09-26
Bull of Pope Gregory XVI. for the Abo-
liti0n of the Siave-trade.


liIi0n of the Siave-trade.
Placed, as we are, on the supreme seat Of the
apostles and acting though by no merits OF our
own, as the vicegcrent of Jesus Christ the Son OF
God, who, through his great mercy, condescended
TO make himself man, and to die for the redemp-
ton Of the world, we regard it as duty deyoving
on our pastoral functions, that we endeavor TO
turn aside our faithful aocks entirely from the in
human traffic in negroes, or any ether human be-
ings whatever. Beyond doubt, when the light
of the Gospel first began TO diffuse itself, those
unhappy persons who were plunged into the seve-
rest condition OF slavery, in consequence of the
numerous ware at that time, found their condition
alleviated among the Christians. For the Apos-
| ties, Inspired by the Divine Spirit taught even
their slaves 10 obey their carna masters as Christ,
| and do the win of God heartily. They also taught
their masters that they should act well to their
slaves, and do unto them what was just and equit-
able, and to abstain from threats, knowing that
the God, both Of them and of their slaves, dwells
in heaven, and that with Him there is no excep-
| ton of persons.
| But while sincere and universal spirit of char
ty is especially enjoined by the law of the Gospel
| and our Lord himself said that he would consider
any act of benevolence and mercy done TO the
/ least or poorest, denied as done or denied to
himself it readily followed that the Christians not
| only considered their slaves especially such as
even very prone to endow with liberty such as
deserved it. Indeed, st. Gregorius Nissenus in
forms US that such liberation of slaves was customary
| on the occasion Of the paschal solemnites. Nor
were there Christians wanting who, stirred up by
more burning zeal, subjected themselves to sla-
very to redeem others, many Of whom that apos-
tolic parsonage, our predecessor, Clement l., tes-
titles that he knew.
Hence in progress Of time, as the clouds Of hea-
then superstition became gradually dispersed, cir
eumstances reached that point that, during several
centuries, there no slaves allowed among the
great majority of the Christian nations; but with
grief we are compelled to add, that there after
ward arose. even among the faithful, race of men
who, basely blinded by the appetite and desire of
sordid lucre, did not hesitate to reduce in remote
regions of the earth, Indians, negroes, and other
wretched beings, to the misery of slavery or,
finding the trade established and augmented to as
sist the shameful crime OF others. Nor did many
Of the most glorious of the Roman Pontiffs omit
severely to reprove their conduct as injurious to
their sou health and disgraceful to the Christian
name.
Among these may be especially quoted the Bull
of Paul H. which bears the date of the 29th of
May, 1857, addressed to the Cardinal Archbishop
of Toledo and another, still more comprehensive,
by Urban VIII, dated the 22d of April, 1886, to
the collector Jurius Of the Apostolic Cha der in
Portugal, most severely castigating by name those
who presumed to subject either East or West IT.
dams to slavery, to sell, buy, exchange, or give
them away, to separate them from their wives and
children, despo them of their goods and property,
to bring or transmit them to other places or by
any means to deprive them of liberty, or retain
them in slavery also, most severely castigating
those who should presume or dare to afford coun-
sell aid, favor, assistance, under any pretext or
borrowed color, to those doing the aforesaid; or
should preach or teach that 1t is lawful or should
otherwise presume or dare to cooperate by any
possible means with the aforesaid Pope Benedict
XIV subsequently confirmed these DEGREES of those
distinguished Pontffs by new Bull addressed to
the heads of the governing authorities of Brazil
ami other regions, ON the 18th of December, 174l,
by which he excited the solcitude of the Bishops
for the same end.
EYap before, another predecessor of ours, more
ancient than these, Plus III, in whose age the do
minion Of Portugal was extended to Guinea, a re-
gion Of negroes, wrote on the 7th of October,
l462, to the Portuguese Bishop, who was about
to repair thither, letter, in which he not only
gives to that high functionary powers to exercise
with greater success bis sacred ministry in those
parts, but gravey animadverted, on tho same oc-
cason, upon those Christians who carried away
Neophytes into slavery And in our own time,
Plus VII, moved by the spirit of religion and,
charity as those who had gone before him. sedu-
lousy interposed his good offices with the men in
power, that the trade in blacks should at length be
put an end to entirely amongst Christians The
injunctions and the good offices of our predeces-
sors served not little, with the help of God to-
wards protecting the Indians, and the other afore-
said races both from the cruelty of their invaders
and from the cupidity of Christian merchants
not to such an extent, however, that the Holy See
| can have to rejoice at their focks having totally
abandoned such practices, since, on the contrary,
the trade in blacks, though diminished to some
extent, is still carried on by many Christians.
Wherefore, we, desiring to divert this disgrace
from the whole confines Of Christianity, having
summoned several of our venerable brothers, their
Eminences, the Cardinals of the H. r. Church to
our council, and, having maturely deliberated on
the whole matter, pursuing the footsteps Of our
predecessors, admonished by our apostolical au-
thorty, and urgently invoke In the Lord all Chris
tians, of whatever condition. that none henceforth
dare to subject to slavery, unjusty persecute, or
despoil of their goods Indians, negroes, or other
classes of men, be accessories to others, or fur
nish them aid or assistance in so doing; and on no
account henceforth to exercise that inhuman traf-
fic by which negroes reduced to slavery, as if
they were not men, but automatic or chattels, and
sold in defiance of all the laws of Justice and
humanity, and devoted to severe and intolerable
labors.
We further reprobate, by our apostoIical author
ity, all the abovedescribed offences utterly I'M
worthy of the Christian name; and by the same
authority we rigdly prohibit and interdict all and
every individual whether ecclesiastical or laical,
from presuming to defend that commerce in negro
slaves under pretence Of borrowed color or to
teach or publish in any manner, publicly or pri-
vately, things contrary to the admonitions which
we have given in these letters
And, finally, that these, our letters, may be
rendered more apparent to all, and that no person
may allege any ignorance thereof, we decree and
order that it shall be published according to Gus
tom, and copies thereof be properly affixed to the
gates Of st. Peter and Of the Apostolic Chancel
every and in like manner to the General Court of
Mount Citatorio, and in the field of the Campus