Church of England sheds light on ‘shameful’ slave trade ties

By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — A letter written by an enslaved person in Virginia 300 years ago seeking freedom is part of a new exhibition exploring the Church of England’s historic links to slavery. It’s part of efforts by the Anglican church to reckon with its historic complicity in slavery. Forensic accountants have found that some of the church’s wealth comes from investments the South Sea Company, which shipped thousands of slaves from Africa to the Americas in the 18th century. The church has called the findings “shameful” and has set up a 100 million pound ($123 million) fund to support projects “focused on improving opportunities for communities adversely impacted by historic slavery.”