Racism and the Church of England

The Black Lives Matter campaign has forced all of us to reflect more deeply on issues of racism, both in society and in the church. Last week, some of you will have seen the BBC’s Panorama programme asking “Is the Church racist?”, which told some challenging and disturbing stories of the experiences of black and minority ethnic clergy. For those who missed it, it’s still available on BBC iPlayer.

This week also saw the publication of a report from the Archbishops’ Anti-racism taskforce, which proposed a suite of changes to begin bringing about a change of culture in the life of the Church of England. You can read the report online (at FROM LAMENT TO ACTION); and see the Archbishops’ response to it HERE, in which the Archbishops pledge action to bring about real change in the church.

There have also been numerous media reports this week on the issue, in, for example, the GUARDIAN, the TELEGRAPH, and elsewhere. Do take the time to inform yourself on this important issue, and how we can respond to this at St Peter’s.