All Oppression Shall Cease: A History of Slavery, Abolitionism, and the Catholic Church

by Christopher J. Kellerman SJ

In this thought-provoking work, Christopher J. Kellerman provides a rigorously researched, era-by-era history of the Catholic Church's teachings and actions related to slavery. By telling stories of enslaved Catholics and Catholic slaveholders, analyzing arguments of theologians who either defended or condemned slaveholding, and examining documents of popes and councils, Kellerman's book reveals disturbing answers to contemporary questions about the Church's role in the history of slavery and especially in the Atlantic slave trade. For students, teachers, and all readers interested in how religion can be used both to oppress and to liberate,  All Oppression Shall Cease  gives a detailed account of the Church's slaveholding past while issuing a call for the Church to take the necessary steps to reconcile with its history.

248 pages, Paperback

Published November 3, 2022

Reviews

[Joy Matteson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great, fairly short historical treatise on the history of the perpectives and reversals the Catholic Church has participated in regarding the buying and selling of human beings. Kellerman, himself a Jesuit, has clearly done impeccable research, including his own translations of works from popes, Catholic theologians, and bishops alike on their perspectives over the centuries. He emphasized t he Church's endorsement or silence over slavery was a choice, and it wasn't until 1888--over 20 years after the American Civil War-- that the full rejection of slaveholding as a moral and mortal sin was condemned. His best parts detail the stories of Black Catholic ex-slave narratives, how the Church played OR did not play a role in their religious trauma.

If I had any quibble with the book, I wish he'd have expanded the stories of Black Catholics--both ex-slaves and Black Catholic abolitionists or theologians. Perhaps, sadly, there wasn't much research to uncover.

Highly recommended to scholars, priests, or bishops who seem to be convinced that the Church has always been opposed to slavery. Get em a copy.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A meticulously-researched and well-written historical survey of the Catholic Church's engagement with the slavery question. It is depressing and shameful how long the tools of Catholic theology and the authority of the hierarchy were deployed in defense of this institution. The strength of this book lies in its unflinchingly honest and nuanced look at the history, with all its warts and occasional bright spots (Gregory of Nyssa, John Duns Scotus). It documents in painful detail how many Church Fathers and later theologians appealed to examples in Scripture, Aristotle's idea of the "natural slave", and the various "just titles" to enslavement in Roman law, to justify slaveholding. Multiple popes owned slaves and the papacy's fingerprints were all over the origins of the transatlantic slave trade. The institution was defended as legitimate in principle by the Holy Office even as late as 1866! The human cost of the Church's centuries-long complicity and silence is noted: the millions of people who never knew freedom, and the many who died on slave ships far from their homes. Finally, the book highlights the role of Pope Leo XIII, who at long last corrected the Church's course on this all-important issue of human dignity. Father Kellerman's book is an important antidote to the many bad books and articles of pop-apologetics that have been written by Catholics to try and whitewash this history.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Father Kellerman’s book excels at describing the facts about slavery in the context of the Catholic Church. His strong scholarship is evident in his meticulous attention to detail and in the breadth of the sources he cites. It is an even-handed treatment of a difficult and divisive topic. He supports his key points with extensive references and highlights historical moments that will figure prominently in later decisions by Church leaders. There is an overarching flow in his narrative that connects recent Church history with the ancient past.

I found his writing to be easy to consume, along the lines of an undergraduate college text. He provides many references for additional reading for those that want to pursue this topic more deeply.

Slavery is an evil that emerged in antiquity and that Catholic and other religious communities largely accepted as just, not being fully repudiated until the late 19th century. Its remnants still plague global society, which makes this book a valuable way to understand the history of this ongoing problem. Father Kellerman focuses on the context of the Catholic Church, countering the false impression that the Catholic Church “always” opposed slavery. This book has value for other Christian communities and for non-Christians as well.

[Michael Kiser · Rating 2 out of 5]

On the one hand this is a very informative read about a topic which a lot of Catholics likely have not thought about (at least I had not) which really did highlight some of the grave injustices in the Church and it's popular theology around this issue but that is where the positives end for this review.
Unfortunately, the author uses this information to jump to conclusions about areas where he sees the church needed to change, specifically talking about the possibility of same-sex marriage and women's ordination. He does this at the end of the text and in only a few paragraphs but it does make the entire work feel like a setup for him to make the point that these teachings should be reconsidered. Essentially sounding like "since the church reversed it's teaching on slavery, it can do the same about same-sex marriage." It's honestly just disappointing that the book can't just stick with the topic of slavery without using it as means for a different agenda.

[Ian Peoples · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clear-eyed account of slaveholding in the Catholic Church. Brace yourself with prayer as you read.