The Diocese of London has secured £730,000 in funding for a new diversity initiative that will encourage clergy to incorporate anti-racism themes into their sermons.
The three-year Racial Justice Priority project, financed by the Church Commissioners, will operate across 400 parishes spanning 18 boroughs situated north of the River Thames.
The scheme arrives amid growing unease that the Church of England is driving away its congregation by concentrating on matters such as slavery rather than traditional pastoral concerns.
Educational programmes in churches and Church of England schools will receive support to explore the historical connections between church buildings and the transatlantic slave trade.
Places of worship will additionally be allocated resources to assist refugees and asylum seekers, whilst being expected to advance diversity within leadership positions.
The Rt Rev Dr Anderson Jeremiah, Bishop of Edmonton and the diocese’s lead figure on racial justice, claimed the initiative would create a “sense of belonging for all”.
“Whether it’s Bible studies, baptismal preparations, confirmation preparations or sermons, what we would like to actively promote is racial justice as one of the ways of engaging with the challenges of the Church, through resources that can be used in these spaces,” he told The Guardian.
Lisa Adjei, who heads the RJP for the diocese, confirmed that unconscious bias training for parochial parish councils would be “theologically informed”.
Dr Anderson Jeremiah claimed the initiative would create a ‘sense of belonging for all’
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DIOCESE OF LONDON
“This comes back to our theology, to who we are as the Church, which is about loving our neighbour,” she explained.
Ms Adjei added: “Whether the far-right were present or not, we would still have an intention to care for the asylum seeker, the refugee and the migrant.
“What we want to do is allow people to see that faith and racial justice live side by side.”
The Racial Justice Priority scheme operates separately from the contentious £100million Project Spire fund, established to address the Church’s historical ties to transatlantic slavery.
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Places of worship will additionally be allocated resources to assist refugees and asylum seekers
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That initiative, championed by former Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, emerged following revelations that a fund created by Queen Anne in 1704 to support impoverished clergy had invested in African chattel slavery.
Critics have argued it is “wrong to try and justify diverting £100m” when congregations across Britain face severe financial pressures, with approximately 3,500 churches having shut their doors over the past decade.
Conservative MPs and peers urged Dame Sarah Mullally, the incoming Archbishop of Canterbury, to abandon the reparations scheme last month, contending that the funds may legally only be directed towards churches and clergy salaries.
A survey conducted by Merlin Strategy earlier this month revealed that 61 per cent of Anglican churchgoers would divert their donations to alternative charities should the Church Commissioners allocate funds towards reparations.
Dame Sarah Mullally has been urged to abandon the controversial reparations scheme
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PAThe poll of 500 Anglicans found an overwhelming 81 per cent believed church finances ought to support local parishes, whilst merely 19 per cent considered reparations a priority.
Mr Welby had previously expressed his regret over the Church’s connections to the slave trade, stating: “I am deeply sorry for the links with transatlantic chattel slavery.
“That some within the Church actively supported and profited from it is a source of shame.”
A Policy Exchange report from last February concluded the reparations proposal was “historically uninformed” and potentially lacked legal justification.
