Church of Scotland apologises for historical slavery links

The Church of Scotland has issued a formal apology for its historical role in slavery.

The apology was adopted at the church’s General Assembly in Edinburgh on Saturday.

Before the abolition of slavery in the British Empire in the 1830s, some members of the Church of Scotland offered a theological justification for chattel slavery.

The Kirk has also recognised that historically some of its members would have benefited from direct and indirect participation in the slave trade.

The Very Rev Sally Foster-Fulton presented the apology to the General Assembly.

She said: “The history we consider today continues to shape our world in ways we cannot ignore.

“Its consequences touch communities near and far, influencing the structures, attitudes and inequalities that persist around us.

“The legacy of slavery stretches like a shadow over our local, national and global landscape.

“Naming that is not about blame, but about faithfulness – about recognising that healing begins where truth is spoken.”

The apology says that the Kirk is “grieved beyond telling by the extraordinary suffering we have inflicted – through our actions and our inaction – on our brothers and sisters”.

It adds: “We repent, committing ourselves to changing course and bearing fruit worthy of repentance.”

Rose Wedderburn, general secretary of the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, praised the apology.

She said: “While the process has understandably evoked deep emotions – the effort invested in truth-telling and honest engagement is worthwhile.”

A number of institutions in Scotland have issued apologies for historical links with slavery, including Edinburgh and Glasgow councils, which did so in 2022.