Pope Asks Africans to Forgive Christians for Dealing in Slaves
YAOUNDE, Cameroon — Pope John Paul II today asked Africans to forgive Christians for the slave trade, saying the inhabitants of “Christian nations” had not always behaved according to the dictates of their faith.
The pontiff’s comments came midway through his 12-day tour of seven African nations.
Speaking in French, the Pope told an assembly of professors, writers, artists and intellectuals in Yaounde that Christians “must always be a force of healing and compassion, like the Good Samaritan of the Gospel.”
“Unfortunately, in the course of history, men belonging to Christian nations did not always act that way, and we now ask our African brothers who have suffered so much, for example, because of the slave trade, for forgiveness,” he said.
“The Christians of the past and today are always imperfect and can make wrong moves.”
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