Archbishop of Canterbury committed to £100m slavery fund
East Africa News
The Archbishop of Canterbury has renewed her commitment to a controversial £100m fund over the Church of England’s role in the transatlantic slave trade.
Dame Sarah Mullally was speaking on a visit to Cape Coast Castle in Ghana where enslaved Africans were held before being trafficked to the Americas.
She said touring the castle made her reflect on the crimes committed by the institution she leads.
Regional Impact
“We played a part in the transatlantic slave trade. That is clear. Part of the Christian belief in repentance is about action, so we are putting in place action to support those communities that feel the legacy of the slave trade,” she added.
This is Dame Sarah’s first pastoral visit to Africa since being installed as head of the Church of England at a ceremony in Canterbury Cathedral in March.
Reparative justice has been one of the themes running through the Ghana leg of this trip.
Analysis
At Cape Coast Castle, which came under British control in the 1660s, Dame Sarah was shown dungeons where slaves were held, and the so-called “door of no return” through which they were forced on to ships.
The archbishop said: “You can’t help but be deeply moved by the horrific conditions that people were kept in and the way that they were treated.
“It completely throws you off balance and brings home the evil that was transatlantic slavery.”
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