Church riposte

STEPHEN GLOVER (Mail) implies that the Church of England will pay £1 billion in reparations for its historic links with African chattel enslavement. This is simply incorrect.

Last year, the Church Commissioners, who manage the Church of England’s endowment fund, committed £100 million of funding, over a number of years, to a programme of impact investment and grant funding for the benefit of communities still affected by the practical legacy of transatlantic chattel enslavement.

An oversight group, which is fully independent of the Commissioners, released a report in which it suggested this initiative should aspire to grow to £1 billion in the future, by encouraging investments from external organisations. The Commissioners share that aspiration but our financial commitment remains £100 million.

As Mr Glover acknowledges, African chattel enslavement was an abominable evil. It is one in which, our research clearly demonstrates, the Church invested and proactively supported. There is a direct link between the legacy of chattel enslavement and health and education outcomes, financial insecurity, reduced access to opportunity and the blight of discrimination for many.

Having learned that the Church’s endowment was invested in this cruel legacy, the Commissioners feel it is only right that we respond by investing in a fairer future for all.

As to funding of parishes, the Church Commissioners are distributing £3.6 billion over nine years to support local parishes and the frontline work and ministry of the Church of England — a 30 per cent increase over the last funding period.

The Rt Revd Stephen Lake, Bishop of Salisbury; Deputy Chair,

Church Commissioners.

INTERESTING that the Church of England wants to apologise for ‘seeking to destroy diverse African traditional religious belief systems’ while converting as many illegal migrants as possible to Christianity.

GEORGE KELLY, Buckingham.