One account states that Pope Leo XIII was the first pope to explicitly condemn slavery in 1888, according to Bluesky. It also reports that before 1888, church institutions and popes including Gregory the Great had slaves. Another account, reported by Daily Sabah and The Hindu, states that Pope Leo XIV made a historic apology for the Holy See's own role in legitimising slavery. The Hindu adds that past popes have apologised for Christians' involvement in the trans-Atlantic slave trade, but no Pope has ever publicly acknowledged or apologised for the role of past popes in authorizing the subjugation and enslavement of 'infidels.' Accounts differ on whether the pope who condemned slavery in 1888 was Leo XIII or whether Leo XIV is the same person; one source identifies Leo XIII as the 19th-century pope who condemned slavery, while another attributes a recent apology to Leo XIV, suggesting they are separate individuals.