Pope Leo denounces suffering of African enslaved people during Peru visit

Catholic Pope Leo XIV has denounced the suffering and humiliation endured by African enslaved people during a visit to the historic Afro-Peruvian city of Zaña. The United States-born Leo's own family tree includes both enslaved people and slave owners. The fact that the Pope also has African ancestry is a source of pride for Zaña because Zaña identifies with people of African descent. The city is a UNESCO-recognized memorial site for slavery and a center of the Afro-Peruvian community today. It was part of Leo's former Diocese of Chiclayo when he was still known as Robert Prevost, and he knows their history well. All that we bought. Anyone who bought a slave had them branded, and if the owner sold a slave to someone else, they had to rebrand them. I'm The descendants of African slaves brought to Peru have struggled starting to advance in the more than 170 years since emancipation. Leo said he was pained at the thought of those who continue to experience discrimination and holds them in his prayers. to speak now.