The Anglican Church will embark upon a review of thousands of historical monuments which reference the British Empire or the slave trade, as the Church continues with its Black Lives Matter-inspired agenda.
The Church of England, which campaigned for the abolition of slavery since the early 1800s, is set to issue guidance this week to its 12,500 parishes and 42 cathedrals, calling for a review of supposedly problematic monuments.
Monuments or plaques with so-called contested heritage could be contextualised, altered, relocated, or even removed. Some could be left untouched, but the author of the review said that local church leaders would not be able to ignore the programme.
Speaking to the left-wing Observer, the author of the guidance and director of the Church of Englandâs churches and cathedrals, Becky Clark, said: âOur church buildings and cathedrals are the most visible part of the C of E, a Christian presence in every community. The responsibility to ensure they include, welcome and provide safe spaces for all is a vitally important part of addressing the way historic racism and slavery still impacts people today.â
Clark argued that the guidance, which will be left up to local parishes to interpret as to whether the artefacts warrant removal or merely to be contextualised, seeks to âempower rather than shut down conversationâ.
âIt doesnât make political statements, except to say the history of racism and slavery is undeniable, as is the fact that racism and the legacy of slavery are still part of many peopleâs lives today. Responding to those in the right way is a Christian duty. Doing nothing is not an option. There has to be engagement with this,â she said.
âThe job of local parishes is to figure out how this impacts our communities today. Are there people who feel this church is not for them because of the built heritage, and what can we do about it?â she said.
Clark did admit that alongside monuments which âcelebrate or valorise those involved in the slave tradeâ, others were also constructed as âsimple memorials to somebody who was loved by their familyâ.
'I Have White Advantage, Male Advantage, Straight Advantage' â Woke Archbishop Brands Own Church 'Institutionally Racist' https://t.co/0PXUlVhZUI
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) February 16, 2020
Some churches and cathedrals have already embarked on the iconoclastic push, with Bristol Cathedral removing a window dedicated to British philanthropist Sir Edward Colston, who infamously had his statue torn down by leftist radicals last June for his involvement in the slave trade.
St Peterâs church in Dorchester has covered up a plaque that honoured a plantation owner who suppressed a slave rebellion, with a notice on the covering saying that the memorial âcommemorates actions and uses language which are totally unacceptable to us todayâ. The plaque is ultimately pending removal and will be offered to a museum.
The archbishops of Canterbury and York established what the Observer described as an âanti-racism task forceâ in April, which will look to address historical involvement in the slave trade.
âWe do not want to unconditionally celebrate or commemorate people who contributed to or benefited from the tragedy that was the slave trade,â the task force said.
While the CoE apologised in 2006 for their historic role in the slave trade, Church leaders took it upon themselves to issue a second apology last year during the height of Black Lives Matter protests in Britain.
Amid the resurgent BLM movement, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby wasted no time in bowing to the mob and admitting and apologising for coming âfrom privilege and a place of power as a white person in this countryâ.
The Archbishop went on to declare that there âis no doubt when we look at our own Church that we are still deeply institutionally racist. Letâs just be clear about that.â
Under the stewardship of Archbishop Welby, the Church of England has increasingly taken a woke turn, with the leader of the Anglican church declaring that the UK should âwelcomeâ mass migration and stunningly pronounced that God is gender-neutral.
Church of England Apologises for Second Time for Slavery Ties https://t.co/LlN2kFxpWL
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) June 19, 2020