What was Gregory I’s attitude toward slavery?

Gregory I, also known as St. Gregory the Great, held a view of slavery that accepted it as a reality of the human condition following the Fall of Man. Rather than seeking to abolish the institution, he regarded slavery as a fact of God’s dispensation and believed that it required humble obedience from those in that state.1

While Gregory tolerated the existence of slavery, his broader administrative philosophy focused on relieving the poor and protecting them from oppression. In his governance of papal estates, he implemented reforms—such as making land inheritable—to improve the lives of peasants and encourage their stability. Additionally, he took specific measures regarding enslaved people in relation to Jews; for instance, he decreed that people enslaved by Jewish masters could claim their freedom if they converted to Christianity, and he prohibited the sale of such individuals or their return to Jewish households if they had escaped.12