The Pope Says, “Okey Doke!”
15th and 16th-century popes sanctioned slavery.
Black people are not impervious to the callous legacy of inhumane sanctions issued from the Vatican. In 1452, Pope Nicholas V issued Dun Diversas, which was a letter granting authority to enslave and trade all non-Catholic people as necessary during the Crusades. The people affected were mostly Pagans and Muslims.
The slavery sanctions authorized in Dun Diversas were expanded throughout the years by three additional Popes to eventually grant divine permission to imperialist nations seeking to colonize and profit from the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
Essentially, these sanctions issued by the Vatican broadened and increased the power of white supremacy by issuing a divine right delivered by the holiest authority on Earth. It’s no wonder the oppressors of the modern world took the Old Testament literally.
