New archbishop urged to scrap £100m fund over slavery links

The new Archbishop of Canterbury has been advised not to spend £100 million on the Church of England's historical ties to slavery. A coalition of Conservative MPs and peers has pleaded with Dame Sarah Mullally to refrain from spending the money in a letter sent by the Sunday Times. According to them, the funds can only be used to finance churches and clergy salaries. The Church Commissioners said in a tweet that the fund's arrangements were being ethically drafted, in accordance with charity legislation. Mullally, the Bishop of London, will take up her new role as Canterbury's first female Archbishop next month.

Following the publication of a study on the Church's historical links to transatlantic slavery, the Church of England's slavery links scheme was announced in January 2023. The Church Commissioners' funding request found that a fund established by Queen Anne in 1704 to assist poor Anglican clergy was used to finance

serious evil. According to the study, the fund, known as Queen Anne's Bounty, invested in African chattel enslavement and received contributions derived from it. After the publication of the paper, Archbishop Justin Welby, said he was

deeply sorry

for the links and that action would be taken to address the Church's

shameful history. The Church Commissioners also announced a new £100 million fund, which will be invested over a nine-year period, to be invested in communities affected by African people's enslavement during the transatlantic slave trade. MPs and peers have encouraged the Church to place more emphasis on strengthening parishes rather than pursuing what they call

high-profile and legally questionable vanity schemes

in their letter to Mullally.

By law, the endowment must be used to promote parish ministry, restore church buildings, and care for the Church's historic records,

the letter's co-authors include MPs Katie Lam, Chris Philp, and Claire Coutinho.

At a time when churches around the country are struggling to keep their doors open — some even falling into disrepair — it's wrong to try and justify deferring £100 million to a program entirely separate from those core duties.

In reaction to the finding of its historic links with transatlantic chattel enslavement, a spokesperson for the Church Commissioners said:

The Church Commissioner's, as a 320-year-old Christian in-perpetuity endowment fund, has pledged £100 million to establish a new investment fund to support recovery, justice, and restoration.

This is in accordance with the Church of England's Fourth Mark of Mission: to 'seek to reform unjustified social, to combat violence of every kind and seek peace and peace.

Governance policies are being developed openly, in accordance with charity legislation, our fiduciary responsibilities, and our moral mission

to ensure proper oversight and accountability. Mullally will officially replace Welby in a January ceremony at St Paul's Cathedral before being enthroned at Canterbury Cathedral in March. The 63-year-old chief nurse joined the Church of England in 2006 and was appointed as the first female Bishop of London in 2018. For almost a year after Justin Welby resigned due to a safeguarding fiasco, the Church has been without someone in the top job.