{"id":2884,"date":"2026-07-31T12:45:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T12:45:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnnglobalnews.com\/2026\/07\/31\/archbishop-of-canterbury-vows-to-support-100m-pledge-helping-communities-affected-by-enslavement\/"},"modified":"2026-07-31T12:45:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T12:45:09","slug":"archbishop-of-canterbury-vows-to-support-100m-pledge-helping-communities-affected-by-enslavement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/?p=2884","title":{"rendered":"Archbishop of Canterbury vows to support \u00a3100m pledge helping communities affected by enslavement"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-14sl0e4\">\n<div class=\"dcr-17l77cs\">\n<figure id=\"08108040-4b5f-445f-a004-a852c14ace2f\" class=\"dcr-191xnya\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally walks with Bishop of Asante Mampong Cyril Kobina Ben-Smith, in Mampong, Ashanti Region, Ghana.\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/53ce70eac4b4c4b5e140a0977a74d94c5be23bcb\/0_0_6047_4458\/master\/6047.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"342.80965768149497\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><span class=\"dcr-kogzpx\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-18mnkpm\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1294qmb\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-4sl2vt\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1mfxiaj\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally walks with Bishop of Asante Mampong Cyril Kobina Ben-Smith, in Mampong, Ashanti Region, Ghana.<\/span> Photograph: Francis Kokoroko\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"08108040-4b5f-445f-a004-a852c14ace2f\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-qda0hp\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1e9iiy9\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally walks with Bishop of Asante Mampong Cyril Kobina Ben-Smith, in Mampong, Ashanti Region, Ghana.<\/span> Photograph: Francis Kokoroko\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-ql9l8l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6mja0y\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-l0wuod\">Archbishop of Canterbury vows to support \u00a3100m pledge helping communities affected by enslavement<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1xpojbf\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1gm5ptv\">\n<p>During her first visit to Ghana, Dame Sarah Mullally expressed regret and said the controversial fund symbolises the Christian belief in repentance<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-x1al2c\">\n<div class=\"dcr-11gq2tx\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-1w2vkyc\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-ogvvui\">\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">At a former British castle where thousands of enslaved Africans were held before being shipped across the Atlantic, the archbishop of Canterbury expressed \u201clament\u201d for the Church of England\u2019s involvement in transatlantic chattel slavery and reaffirmed her commitment to a controversial \u00a3100m fund for affected communities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Dame Sarah Mullally made the comments on Thursday during a visit to the Cape Coast castle, a 17th-century fortress that was built by Swedish traders, but occupied by the Danish and the Dutch, before the British seized it in 1664.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">It was part of a 10-day tour of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/ghana\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Ghana<\/a> and Cameroon at the invitation of the head of the Anglican church\u2019s west Africa province, the Archbishop Cyril Kobina Ben-Smith. Both countries are part of the church\u2019s west Africa province.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cBeing at Cape Coast Castle today and seeing the horrific conditions that thousands of people were kept in, it is impossible not to feel the weight of the immense evil that drove the transatlantic slave trade,\u201d the archbishop said at the site.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">She was shown the dungeons used to keep enslaved people, before praying in a former Anglican chapel above them. She also visited the \u201cDoor of No Return\u201d, where enslaved people were loaded on to ships and ferried across the Atlantic.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"dabccdc4-0ec1-472d-916f-48df68974a99\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-d9bay7\">\n<div id=\"img-2\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The archbishop of Canterbury visits a former British slave castle in Ghana\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/4521e2ab3d8176edc96f42bae256e49a96ee455d\/0_0_1638_1311\/master\/1638.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"356.1630036630037\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><a href=\"#img-2\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"dabccdc4-0ec1-472d-916f-48df68974a99\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-174mzkf\"><span class=\"dcr-vyhg7z\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">The archbishop of Canterbury visits a former British slave castle in Ghana<\/span> Photograph: Nana Osei Adu-Boahene \/ Lambeth Palace<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Her trip began in Accra, 142km east of Cape Coast on Sunday. There in the capital, Mullally visited four local parishes and delivered the sermon at a special Eucharistic service at St Joseph the Worker Anglican church in the Kaneshie area. According to local reports, the service was officiated by an all-female clergy from the Anglican church of Ghana.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Mullally, who in March became the 106th head of the 492-year-old denomination and the only woman to do so, also met the Ghanaian president, John Mahama, earlier in the tour, along with her husband, Eamonn Mullally.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Since the government launched the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2024\/dec\/14\/ghana-year-return-tourists-prices-africa\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Year of Return scheme<\/a> in 2019 to help Africans and their descendants in the diaspora reconnect with their roots, Ghana has had a surge in visitors. As part of Mullally\u2019s visit, she laid a foundation stone for a hostel belonging to the local church\u2019s culture resort initiative, to accommodate pilgrims from the diaspora wanting to engage in the scheme.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The archbishop also preached at a service of more than 1,000 nurses in the town of Mampong, where she commissioned a new campus clinic named after her. On Friday, she heads to Yaound\u00e9, the Cameroonian capital and will then proceed to Douala and the English-speaking cities of Buea and Limbe.<\/p>\n<figure data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.NewsletterSignupBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-d9bay7\"><a data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" href=\"#EmailSignup-skip-link-10\" class=\"dcr-76akua\">skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1tr4stg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-12qa5gp\">\n<hr class=\"dcr-1cjdlyj\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"EmailSignup-skip-link-10\" aria-label=\"after newsletter promotion\" role=\"note\" class=\"dcr-76akua\">after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<figure id=\"57b60a35-2cf7-4a2e-90af-e0b7a197fa73\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-1oq85qr\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-11 | 11\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1rx5ky9\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-uyoh2p\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/news\/2026\/feb\/01\/project-spire-dividing-church-of-england-explainer\" class=\"dcr-f35c0u\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-vvxpdt\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6z6e7\">\n<div class=\"dcr-zh9rih\">What is Project Spire and why is it dividing the Church of England?<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-oj13vq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-ef9nua\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Ghana has been spearheading a global campaign to seek reparative justice and last month hosted a<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/news\/2026\/jun\/19\/global-framework-reparations-justice-adopted-at-landmark-conference-in-accra-ghana\" data-link-name=\"in body link\"> landmark conference<\/a> attended by heads of state from more than 80 countries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The archbishop\u2019s visit comes three years after her predecessor Justin Welby formally apologised for the church\u2019s role in the transatlantic slave trade, including using a fund for poor clergy to invest in enslaving Africans. \u201cIt is a stain on the wider church that some Christians did not see their brothers and sisters as created in the image of God, but as objects to be exploited,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The church set up a \u00a3100m fund committed to \u201ca programme of investment, research and engagement\u201d in communities affected by slavery, triggering <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/jul\/13\/church-of-england-100m-slavery-reparative-justice-project-legal-challenge\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">diverse reactions<\/a>. At the time, an independent oversight group argued that the amount was insufficient to address the generational damage slavery had caused and urged the church to expand that commitmentto \u00a31bn. Upon Mullally\u2019s ascension to the role of archbishop, a committee of Conservative MPs urged her to spend the money on wages for the church\u2019s clergy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">However, on Thursday, the archbishop reaffirmed her commitment tothe fund. \u201cWe played a part in the transatlantic slave trade \u2026 part of the Christian belief in repentance is about action, so we are putting in place action to support those communities that feel the legacy of the slave trade,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Across Ghana, the mood has largely been celebratory. On a visit to the palace of the Asantehene, the traditional ruler of the Asante people in the city of Kumasi on Wednesday, Mullally wore a special cassock and cape lined with kente cloth that excited palace chiefs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Among those who were not enthused was Accra-based accountant Kenneth Mordzro, who believes the church can play a greater role in reparation efforts. \u201cThey should bring back the gold and artefacts they stole from our ancestors during the colonial days,\u201d he said, referring to loot taken by the British government during the Anglo-Asante wars of the 19th century.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-swayiu\"><span class=\"dcr-1xhbmzr\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-2c03t5\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-p7nd18\">\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/anglicanism\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Anglicanism<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/news\/series\/cotton-capital-ongoing-series\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Cotton Capital: ongoing series<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/christianity\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Christianity<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/reparations-and-reparative-justice\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Reparations and reparative justice<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/ghana\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Ghana<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/africa\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Africa<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/religion\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Religion<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-313bdz\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Archbishop%20of%20Canterbury%20vows%20to%20support%20%C2%A3100m%20pledge%20helping%20communities%20affected%20by%20enslavement&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/news\/2026\/jul\/31\/archbishop-of-canterbury-support-pledge-helping-communities-enslavement?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-ncybeu\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-19bkree\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fnews%2F2026%2Fjul%2F31%2Farchbishop-of-canterbury-support-pledge-helping-communities-enslavement&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=news\/2026\/jul\/31\/archbishop-of-canterbury-support-pledge-helping-communities-enslavement\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-1c41onw\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1kq7f60\"><span class=\"dcr-1ryr20k\"><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally walks with Bishop of Asante Mampong Cyril Kobina Ben-Smith, in Mampong, Ashanti Region, Ghana. Photograph: Francis Kokoroko\/Reuters View image in fullscreen Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/?p=2884\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":2885,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2884","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2884","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2884"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2884\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2885"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}