Church hypocrisy

sir – The announcement by the Church of England of a £100million fund to “address past wrongs” (Letters, January 16) is linked to a report on historic transatlantic chattel slavery.

That report refers extensively to the activities of Edward Colston, a Bristol merchant who traded slaves and who also made substantial donations to the Church. Slavery, while reprehensible, was entirely legal at the time.

I own shares in BP (an oil company), British American Tobacco, Diageo (alcoholic drinks) and Temple Bar (an investment company that has holdings in BP, Shell, the mining company Anglo American, and Honda Motor). All these investments are legal, but the medical profession would, no doubt, deplore my holdings in British American Tobacco and Diageo, and climate change alarmists would probably say that I am profiting from the forthcoming mass extinction. However, the Church seems to be quite willing to accept my donations.

Does anyone think that the Church will refund my money, or give it to “communities affected” by addiction and global warming?

John Cooper

Southwold, Suffolk