Church, Slave

By Mike James

In 1713, Queen Anne of England and King Philip V of Spain signed a treaty under which Spain granted a monopoly licence to England to conduct the slave trade from Africa to all the Spanish colonies in Latin America and the Caribbean. The very lucrative contract to supply a minimum of 4,800 slaves yearly went to the “South Sea Company” and enabled the British government to convert much of its then massive foreign debt into shares of the company.

A Harvard University historical study states that from the entry points to the continent, mainly in the Caribbean. the South Sea Company transported healthy captives to main Spanish ports and from there to further settlements inland. Less healthy individuals were sent to undeveloped areas or sold to traders locally. Many women and girls endured exploitation as sex workers.

“The company’s handling and sorting of people in Jamaica continued to convey to African migrants their captors’ dehumanized view of them Fear, anger, and sadness were commonplace, as the meaning of traders’ choices were imagined or became known through conversations with experienced slaves working the waterfronts or holding pens,” states the study.

The Church of England has pledged £100 million to "address past wrongs", after its investment fund was found to have historic links to slavery. The funding will be used to provide a "better and fairer future for all, particularly for communities affected by historic slavery".

A report last year found the Church had invested large amounts of money in the South Sea Company that transported slaves to the Caribbean and Latin America. The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said it was "time to take action to address our shameful past". He had previously called the report's interim findings a "source of shame" in June 2022.

The investigation, which was initiated by the Church Commissioners, a charity managing the Church's investment portfolio, looked into the Church's investment fund, which back in the 18th century was known

Dear Editor,

The Lord’s Prayer is brief and to the point. It is too short and pregnant to be recited quickly.

At Mass, we join together as a community to pray in the way that Jesus taught us. We have prayed these words a thousand times before, but let us allow them to be always fresh and new. Let us focus on a particular word or phrase and allow it to permeate our whole being. If we are struggling to co -operate with God’s will, perhaps we will focus on “Thy will be done”. Or perhaps we have real and human needs that are not being met so our focus may fall on the words “Give us this day our daily bread.