Ghana welcomes Pope's apology over Catholic Church's role in slavery

Ghana said the Pope's acknowledgment of the "painful history" was significant, at a time the world was having a "deeper reflection" on the effects of slavery and colonialism.The country successfully pushed for a UN resolution in March, which recognised the enslavement of Africans as the "gravest crime against humanity".Submitted by Ghana's President John Mahama and backed by the African Union, it aims to provide a pathway to healing and the payment of reparations.It also seeks to address the enduring consequences of slavery like inequality and racial discrimination.Ghana, which still has some of the forts that were used for holding captives under inhuman conditions as they waited to be shipped to the Americas by European powers, is due to host a conference in June to discuss the next steps following the adoption of the UN resolution.On Tuesday, Human Rights Watch said the Pope's apology marked an important step, but stressed apologies alone were not enough and that real reparative justice needed to go further.Religious institutions, along with states and corporations that benefited from slavery, should "reckon seriously" with their histories and take part in reparative efforts, the rights group added.