The Church of England’s funding body apologized on Tuesday for its links to slavery, pledging to address past mistakes by investing in affected communities.
“The Church Commissioner apologizes for the association of his predecessor’s funds with the transatlantic slave trade,” the organization said in a statement.
Invest in victims of slavery
The commissioner committed to investing £100 million ($122 million) over the next nine years for “a better and fairer future for all”.
The money will go towards “communities affected by historical slavery”, and towards further research into the church’s relationship to the practice.
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Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the Church of England’s highest cleric and head of the worldwide Anglican communion, said he was “sorry” for the link.
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“Now is the time to act to overcome our shameful past,” he said.
The deputy chairman of the Church Commissioners, the Bishop of Manchester David Walker, said the body now hoped to create a “lasting positive legacy”.
The Church Commissioner for England was established in 1948 partly with funds from Queen Anne’s Bounty, a fund from 1704 to help poor clergy.
A commissioned report stated that Queen Anne’s Bounty invested “significant amounts” of funds in the South Sea Company, which traded African slaves.
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It also received donations that likely came from individuals involved in plantation practices and economics.
Queen Anne’s Bounty Fund was placed in the endowment of the Church Commissioners when it was established. It currently manages a £10.1 billion investment fund to support church and clergy activities.
Church cash book
Researchers have found links to slavery by combing through ledgers dating back more than 200 years at Lambeth Palace, the official residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury in London.
“Nothing we do, hundreds of years later, will give people back their lives,” the commissioners wrote in the introduction to the report.
“But we can and will recognize and acknowledge the horror and shame of the Church’s role in the historic transatlantic chattel slavery and, through our response, seek to begin to address the injustice caused as a result.”
The Church of England has previously apologized for its links to slavery, as Britain considers the legacy of its controversial colonial past.
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In 2020, it said that some members of the church “actively and profited” from slavery as a “source of shame”.
Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell also called on followers to acknowledge all aspects of the church’s past, both good and bad, in order to create a better future.
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