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Pope Leo XIV’s Visit to An African Church Linked to Slavery Reflects on His Own Complex Heritage

April 21, 2026

Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to visit the Church of Our Lady of Muxima in Angola, a 16th-century structure that served a dual role as both a Catholic shrine and a key location in the transatlantic slave trade. The Portuguese-built church was where enslaved Africans were baptized before being transported to Luanda's port, with Angola sending over 5 million people into slavery—nearly half of all African slaves shipped across the Atlantic. Recent genealogical research revealed that Pope Leo, the first American pope, has Creole ancestry including both enslaved people and slave owners among his forebears.

Who is affected

  • Pope Leo XIV (Robert Prevost)
  • African Catholics, particularly Angolans
  • Rev. Celestino Epalanga, a priest with the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Angola
  • The estimated 5 million people who were enslaved and sent from Angola
  • Descendants of enslaved people and slave owners in Pope Leo's family line
  • Professor Mariana Candido of Emory University

What action is being taken

  • Pope Leo XIV is planning to visit the Church of Our Lady of Muxima on Sunday
  • The Pope plans to recite the Rosary on the riverside esplanade next to the fortress and chapel

Why it matters

  • This visit holds significance because it brings the head of the Catholic Church to a site that represents the historical connection between Catholicism and the exploitation of Africa through the slave trade. The moment is particularly symbolic given that Pope Leo is the first American pope and has recently discovered ancestry that includes both enslaved people and slave owners, with some of the first slaves in Louisiana having come from Angola. The visit offers an opportunity for the Catholic Church to acknowledge this painful history and potentially transform the meaning of a place where over 5 million Africans were processed into slavery, representing nearly half of all enslaved Africans sent across the Atlantic.

What's next

  • No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint