from Yahoo News
The Church of England has insisted it has a “moral imperative” to address its historic links to the trans-Atlantic slave trade amid opposition to its plans to spend £100 million ($114 million) on reparations.
Church Commissioners – who are responsible for the management of the Church of England’s investment portfolio – said they remain “outraged” by the past links and the continued impact on people now.
The plan, which had proposed applying to the Charity Commission to register a “fund for healing, repair and justice,” is currently subject to a legal challenge, documents published ahead of the Church of England’s General Synod stated.
A group of lawmakers and members of the House of Lords, the upper chamber of parliament, in December wrote to then-incoming Archbishop of Canterbury Dame Sarah Mullally urging her to stop the fund, arguing the endowment by law is supposed to be used to support parish ministry, maintain church buildings and care for the Church’s historic records.
The announcement of the £100 million fund in 2023 was a specific response to what the group described as a “historic pool of capital tainted by its involvement in African chattel enslavement.”
See also: Church of England defends £100m reparation fund by Gabriella Swerling, Telegraph