Church of England fights to head off donations backlash in slavery reparations storm

Jul 5, 2024 by Jill

by Alex Ward, Daily Mail:

Church of England leaders were forced to act over fears that anger at their £100million slavery reparations fund would hit income from the collection plate.

They admitted working with the Church’s ‘giving advisers’ – responsible for encouraging congregations to donate – to produce ‘myth-buster’ guidance amid the controversy.

The C of E announced last year it was establishing a £100million fund for reparations to recognise that it once profited from the slave trade.

It later revealed that there were plans to aim for a far larger target of £1billion by seeking funds from other parties.

The latest twist emerged in a written statement, published ahead of the General Synod this weekend, in response to a question submitted by House of Laity member Luke Appleton.

He had asked whether the Church Commissioners – who control the C of E’s purse strings – would compensate dioceses and parishes that suffered a loss of donations in response to the reparations fund.

The Bishop of Salisbury, Stephen Lake, who sits as deputy chairman of the commissioners, insisted no parish money was earmarked for reparations.

But he admitted the Church had worked with giving advisers in the hope that the policy would not hit the collection plate.

The Rt Rev Lake said: ‘Our funding commitment will be sourced in its entirety from the Endowment Fund managed by the Church Commissioners.

‘None of the money given to a parish church will be used for this fund. None of the money will come from parish income.’

He added: ‘We do not have any data about a material loss in giving due to the Church Commissioners’ work to address links to African chattel enslavement, although we have heard anecdotally that some givers may have chosen to withdraw support.

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