Sarah Mullally defends Church reparations plan from critics

The incoming Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah Mullally, and the Church Commissioners have defended plans to commit £100 million towards slavery reparations.

Late last yr the plan was criticised by a gaggle of Conservative peers and MPs who argued that the Church Commissioners fund is meant to support local parishes within the Church of England.

In an open letter, organised by Conservative MP Katie Lam, critics of the plan argued that it could fall foul of Charity Commission rules that require charitable funds for use for the aim for which they were donated.

“At a moment when churches across the country are struggling to maintain their doors open — many even falling into disrepair — it’s mistaken to try to justify diverting £100 million to a project entirely separate from those core obligations,” they argued.

In her response, Mullally said that “the Church of England’s historic links to African chattel enslavement are a serious matter”, adding that the work of the Church Commissioners “is rooted within the Christian call to repentance, reconciliation and, above all, hope”.

She argued that support for parish ministry was not being diminished as a consequence of the reparations plan. As evidence she pointed to rising levels of economic support for parishes, including “a record £1.6 billion being allocated over the subsequent three years”.

In their response, the Church Commissioners made similar points: “You [Lam and her supporters] expressed concern in regards to the diversion of funds from the ministry of the Church of England.

“On the contrary, our investment approach has significantly augmented the funds available to the mission and ministry of the Church of England.

“The £100 million commitment to a recent in-perpetuity fund is consistent with the Church of England’s Fourth Mark of Mission: ‘To transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of all kinds and pursue peace and reconciliation’.”

Lam said on X that the response was “disappointing”.

She added, “The £100m that the church plans to spend on slavery reparations is for local parishes. It have to be spent on that, not on a divisive vanity project.”