Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell arrived at Holy Island off the coast of Northumbria today having walked St Cuthbert’s Way, setting off from Melrose last Monday. As he journeyed along the route he was praying for the renewal of God’s Church in the North. The week long pilgrimage ended with a celebration of the Eucharist in the parish church of St Mary’s, which stands on the site of the original monastery founded by Aidan. He said, “We all know that life is a journey. Faith can teach us that this journey can be a holy pilgrimage where we can encounter God and which leads ultimately to eternal life with him."This week I have been privileged to take some time out of my busy life to slow down, think and look at what is around me in this incredibly beautiful world that God has made and to enjoy journeying at a different pace. I think one of the reasons we go on pilgrimage is to learn how to be slow, to give space and time for thought and reflection, and walking the 62 miles of St Cuthbert’s Way has once again enabled me to do this. The scenery has been stunning, the weather kind, and the welcome and hospitality I’ve encountered has been warm and encouraging. I have been praying for the Church in the North that we may be holy, that people may see Jesus Christ within us as we reach out in love and service to our neighbours, sharing the good news that life with Jesus brings wholeness and peace.”Archbishop Stephen is a keen advocate of pilgrimages and has walked the Camino to Santiago de Compostela in Spain twice, as well as walking to places in England including Walsingham, Canterbury, Durham and York.
The Church Commissioners for England has learned from research it commissioned that Queen Anne’s Bounty, a predecessor fund of the Church Commissioners’ £10.1 billion endowment, had links with transatlantic chattel slavery. The Church Commissioners is deeply sorry for its predecessor fund’s links with transatlantic chattel slavery. In the 18th century, Queen Anne’s Bounty invested significant amounts of its funds in the South Sea Company, a company that traded in enslaved people. It also received numerous benefactions, many of which are likely to have come from individuals linked to, or who profited from, transatlantic chattel slavery or the plantation economy. The Church Commissioners in 2019 decided to conduct research into the source of its endowment fund to gain an improved understanding of its history. It worked with forensic accountants to review early ledgers and other original source documents from Queen Anne’s Bounty. That research is now complete, and a final report of the findings will be published later this year. The Church Commissioners is forming a group to consider the research and how to respond to these findings. Further information will be shared in due course. The Bishop of Birmingham, the Right Reverend David Urquhart, a member of the Church Commissioners Board and chair of the group that had oversight of the research, said: “The Church Commissioners is deeply sorry for its predecessor fund’s links with transatlantic chattel slavery. The Church Commissioners aims to be transparent about its history and we will use this knowledge to ensure we are at the forefront of responsible investment globally. Alongside this work to consider our past, we continue to lobby for change in the companies in which we invest today and call for those companies to champion human rights within their supply chains. Through our policy of advocating ‘respect for people’, we aim to create a fairer world today in which all of God’s children can flourish.” The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, who is also Chair of the Church Commissioners, said:“I am deeply sorry for the links with transatlantic chattel slavery that the Church Commissioners has identified. This abominable trade took men, women and children created in God’s image and stripped them of their dignity and freedom. The fact that some within the Church actively supported and profited from it is a source of shame. It is only by facing this painful reality that we can take steps towards genuine healing and reconciliation – the path that Jesus Christ calls us to walk. This is a moment for lament, repentance and restorative action. I pray for those affected by this news and hope that we may work together to discern a new way forward.”
IN the Church, when we assess refugee policies we start from a position of seeing every human being as a child of God, worthy of dignity and recognition. That doesn’t mean calling for open borders or being naive about those who seek to abuse the system. It means calling for individuals to be treated with compassion and allowing for their case to be heard.It means calling for legitimate refugees to be offered the help and support they need.The Government’s Rwanda plan does not do this.There is some misunderstanding about what the plan entails. It does not mean that only failed or fake asylum seekers are sent abroad. Nor does it mean that legitimate refugees are given permission to return here once their case has been heard. It simply dispatches people, regardless of the legitimacy of their case, somewhere else; somewhere they have no desire to go.There is a narrative that suggests those who seek asylum are all chancers and criminals, economic migrants seeking to cheat the system.The reality is that as many as 80% of those crossing the Channel ultimately get recognised as legitimate refugees by the Home Office.We might then ask why so many legitimate refugees risk their lives making a perilous sea crossing, or using illegal smugglers.The reason is simple – for many, from countries such as Eritrea, Iran, South Sudan or Iraq, there are currently no safe and legal routes, whether they are LGBT+ people facing discrimination, political dissidents or those who have been persecuted because of their religion or race.The Government responds by saying that critics have produced no alternatives. This is not true.We have suggested a tapestry of measures that would allow for genuine refugees to arrive by safe and legal routes, while discouraging the dangerous Channel crossings and criminal activity.At the same time, we do not over-promise or pretend there are easy solutions and silver bullets.The causes and drivers of refugee flows are complex and demand well thought through, evidence-based responses. This tawdry Rwanda plan is not that.The Channel crossings still continue (thousands have arrived since the policy was announced), but in an effort to look tough we have debased ourselves with an unethical policy that will punish and traumatise many legitimate refugees.We can and must do better.
