Canterbury Archbishop Reaffirms Support for £100 million Slavery Reparations Fund

Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally used her first African pastoral trip since taking office to reaffirm commitment to a controversial £100 million fund aimed at reparative justice for the Church of England’s involvement in the transatlantic slave trade. While touring Cape Coast Castle, a former British stronghold where enslaved Africans were held, she described the experience as a stark reminder of the church’s historical complicity.

The fund, created three years ago after an audit revealed past investments linked to slavery, is intended for research, investment and community engagement in affected regions. Opposition to the initiative persists, with critics questioning the depth of the church’s culpability and legal feasibility. Ghana’s foreign minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa welcomed the archbishop’s stance, saying it challenges revisionist attitudes within the church. The visit underscores a broader Ghanaian campaign urging former benefactors of the slave trade to provide reparations.