Hatehas infected Church, says Welby

THE ARCHBISHOP of Canterbury has said that antisemitism is “deeply entrenched” within British society.

Justin Welby said hatred of Jews had been “burrowing into European and British culture for as long as we can remember”.

It was “shocking”, he said, that even in the 21st century antisemitic slurs, such as “the perverted and absurd argument that a small group runs or plot against our society”, were still being spread.

In an essay written for the Holocaust Educational Trust and Community Security Trust, the archbishop said it was“ashamefultruth”thattheChurch had “compounded the spread of this virus”.

The fact that the “insidious evil” of antisemitism “has infected the body of theChurchissomethingofwhichweas Christians must be deeply repentant”.

He added: “Antisemitism is at the heart of racism. Yet, because it is so deeply entrenched in our thought and culture, it is often ignored and dismissed. This tendency must be vigorously resisted.”

His words were welcomed by the Board of Deputies.

In a statement, Jonathan Arkush, the president of the Board, described the archbishop’s essay as “powerful and timely”.

The Archbishop’s essay is one of a series in the booklet