1839 papal bull by Pope Gregory XVI
In supremo apostolatus is a papal brief issued by Pope Gregory XVI regarding the institution of slavery. Issued on December 3, 1839, as a result of a broad consultation among the College of Cardinals, the bull resoundingly denounces both the slave trade and the continuance of the institution of slavery.
Content.
The Bull outlines the history of Church attitudes to slavery, beginning with the Apostles who tolerated slavery but called on masters to "act well towards their slaves [...] knowing that the common Master both of themselves and of the slaves is in Heaven, and that with Him there is no distinction of persons". The Bull then discusses the involvement of Christians for and against slavery:
The Bull refers to several earlier papal pronouncements seeking to alleviate the suffering of slaves, beginning with the bull "Sublimis Deus" of Pope Paul III, given on May 29, 1537, to the Cardinal Archbishop of Toledo, and that of Pope Urban VIII on April 22, 1639 to the Collector Jurium of the Apostolic Chamber of Portugal; then that of Pope Benedict XIV of December 20, 1741, to the Bishops of Brazil and some other regions; then another by Pope Pius II, of October 7, 1462 and finally (not referring to any specific occasion) Pope Pius VII. Pope Gregory then condemns the continuing slave trade:
Effects in the United States.
The Bull had political consequences for the Catholic communities in slaveholding states, especially Maryland. The bishop of Charleston, John England, despite privately abhorring slavery, interpreted "In supremo apostolatus" in his ecclesiastical province as a condemnation of large-scale slave-trading, as opposed to the individual owning of slaves although it forbade defending the institution of slavery "under any pretext...or excuse".
In 1852, American bishops convened upon Baltimore for the First Plenary Council of Baltimore, and remarks on the conditions of slaves were kept to the need for prayers for individuals in slavery. The Irish-born archbishop of Baltimore, Francis Kenrick, raised the issue of the condition of slaves in America but concluded that "such is the state of things, [that] nothing should be attempted against the laws".