Time To Tackle Modern Slavery Rather Than Reparations For The Past

It was obvious from his article Justin was greatly moved on his trip to Ghana in 2023 but adopting a newer trinity of “Diversity, Equality and Inclusion” is in my opinion modern identity politics and will do nothing to change history.

Slavery was a universal institution practised on every continent by people of every skin colour. Africans were capturing & selling other Africans to Romans & Arabs centuries before Europeans entered the market in the mid-1400′s. To the great credit of our English predecessors we led the movement to abolish slavery.

However modern slavery or “Human Bondage” is tragically still practised in our world today in North Korea, Eritrea, Mauritania etc to name a few places. It would be more appropriate in my opinion to publicise this vile practice, but that does not pander to modern woke attitudes held by our metropolitan elites. Whatever we do as Christians we cannot change history but we can try & expose current injustice in our world. If our church are led down this demoralising path by our virtue signalling leadership the next in the queue for compensation will no doubt be the descendants or locations of our Industrial mill workers who were forced to work in childhood. At least that could meet the specific needs in our dioceses and perhaps be permitted by the Charity Commission?

Peter Garside, Cambridge

TIME TO TACKLE MODERN SLAVERY RATHER THAN REPARATIONS FOR THE PAST

Apr 11, 2024

Letter to the Church of England Newspaper April 12 2024

I was astonished to read the article by Justin Welby (28 March 2024) inferring that the Church Commissioners “were an impact investor with a responsibility to support & promote every human being on the planet”.

The purpose and duty of the trustees is to support the mission and heritage of England’s cathedrals, church buildings, and funding the ministry of bishops to ensure they meet the needs specific to their dioceses. If the Church Commissioners consider it’s appropriate to give £100 million to a separate “fund for Healing, Repair and Justice” I would suggest the Charity Commission make an urgent investigation. The Trustees have clearly exceeded their authority and purpose.