Archbishop Sarah Mullally of Canterbury concluded a 10-day tour of Africa on August 4, during which she renewed the Church of England’s commitment to a 100 million pound reparations fund addressing the institution’s historical involvement in the transatlantic slave trade. The tour marked Mullally’s first visit to the continent since her installation in March, when she became the first woman to serve as archbishop of Canterbury.
During the Ghana portion of her visit from July 26-31, Mullally visited Cape Coast Castle, a significant slave fort that came under British control in the 1660s. She toured the dungeons and walked through “the door of no return” used by traders before shipping enslaved Africans across the Atlantic. The archbishop stated that witnessing these conditions made evident the gravity of the church’s involvement. The reparations fund, initially announced in January 2023, followed an independent audit revealing that an 18th-century church endowment had invested heavily in a slave-trading company, that church missionaries operated slave plantations in the Caribbean, and that clergy members owned enslaved people.
The final portion of Mullally’s tour took her to Cameroon from July 31 through August 4, where she emphasized themes of peace and healing. In a sermon delivered from Yaounde on August 4, the archbishop called for dialogue and reconciliation, particularly noting the armed conflict between government forces and separatist groups in the region. She highlighted interfaith peace-building partnerships involving Anglican, Catholic, and other faith communities as models for resolving conflict through inclusive dialogue.
Response to the reparations fund has been mixed. Some African religious leaders, including retired Bishop Julius Kalu of Mombasa, have questioned the fund’s implementation and whether the amount is adequate, noting that an independent oversight group had recommended £1 billion or more. Others, such as theologian Jackie Makena of the Methodist Church in Kenya, have welcomed the effort while emphasizing that genuine repentance requires addressing ongoing structural injustices stemming from slavery and colonialism. The fund is designated for distribution through 2032 for investment, research, and aid programs, though details regarding beneficiaries and distribution mechanisms remain unclear.
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