Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-4656717-20130820115709/@comment-32656-20130829132300

Nope - the extent of it has been exaggerated, but it did exist.

Even more telling, however, was that there was infrequent Papal Bulls issued throughout the years in support of the concept, and that slavery and the slave trade was very minor until the Pope came out in support of the concept.

Add to that that the abolition movement originated in Protestant countries, and took much longer to take root in Catholic countries, and we have a problem.

For that matter, it took until 1839 for the Pope to speak against the concept in any real form, and it did not become something that violated Church canon until Vatican II.

Mildly disturbing, actually.