The Church of England has affirmed that it has a 'moral duty' to address its historical links to the transatlantic slave trade, despite continued legal and political objections to its plan to allocate £100 million to compensate those affected by the legacy of slavery.

The Church Commissioners, responsible for managing its investment portfolio, said they remain 'angry' about the institution's historical ties to the slave trade and its ongoing effects to this day.

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The statements come as the plan to create a 'Fund for Healing, Repair and Justice' faces a legal challenge, after objections from a number of members of Parliament and the House of Lords, who argued that the church's endowment funds should be used to support church services and maintain its buildings and historical records, not for reparation programs.

The church had announced in 2023 the allocation of £100 million to the fund, in a step it described as a response to a historical legacy linked to the enslavement of Africans, noting that part of its funds and donations come from individuals who benefited from or were connected to the slave trade.