The Church of Scotland is poised to issue a formal apology for its 'historical relationship' with the transatlantic slave trade, a significant move that will be proposed at the upcoming General Assembly next month. This institutional apology will explicitly acknowledge how the Church benefited from 'some of its members' and their families' direct and indirect participation in slavery'. It further admits that 'members and officers of the Church offered theological justifications for chattel slavery', a practice that treated human beings as personal property.
Legacies of Slavery and Modern Implications
The apology will also recognise that the 'legacies of slavery continue to shape experiences of race and inequality today', highlighting the enduring impact of this dark chapter in history. The report details that although British merchants were 'involved in the enslavement and trafficking of people from Africa from the 1550s, the Church of Scotland did not take a public stand on slavery until the end of the 18th century'. Ministers and moderators were 'directly engaged in chattel slavery – yet as far as our research has shown us, no disciplinary action was taken by the Church'.
Criticism and Calls for Action
However, Professor Gordon Graham, a philosopher and Anglican priest ordained in the Scottish Episcopal Church, has criticised the Kirk's apology as 'virtue-signalling'. He questioned, 'Is there anyone out there meaningfully able to receive this apology? This looks to me very much like virtue-signalling prompted by modern political sensibilities.' The report comes after the 2023 General Assembly agreed that an apology should be 'prepared for future consideration', following a detailed report on how the Kirk financially benefited from the slave trade.
The apology will invite the General Assembly to 'adopt the apology and investigate other actions that could demonstrate repentance, justice and reconciliation'. The report states, 'Some clergy owned enslaved people themselves and continued to do so even after Scottish courts had ruled slavery morally and legally indefensible. Others defended policies that delayed emancipation well beyond the abolition of the slave trade.'
Future Steps and Honest Reflection
Should the apology and report be accepted, recommendations for next steps will be brought to the 2027 General Assembly. The Very Rev Sally Foster-Fulton, convener of the group that drafted the report, said, 'This apology represents a moment of honesty for the Church of Scotland.' This process underscores a broader effort to address historical injustices and promote reconciliation within the community.
