Archbishop of Canterbury says the Church must ‘repent’ for failing to take action on ‘horrifying’ racism in Britain
- Archbishop of Canterbury took to social media to address racism in the UK
- Justin Welby admits the church has also made failings and must do better
- In a video shared online he stresses the importance of acknowledging privilege
The Archbishop of Canterbury has spoken out on the subject of racism and race relations in the UK, admitting the church of England has made multiple failings and must get its own house in order.
Justin Welby took to social media to admit the church needs to do better to address the issue of racism, and must acknowledge its own level of privilege.
With the Black Lives Matter movement gaining strong momentum across the globe in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, the Archbishop of Canterbury has felt compelled to speak out and use his audience to convey a message.
The Archbishop of Canterbury took to social media to address racism in the UK on Monday
Posting the video on Twitter to over 150,000 followers, Archbishop Welby began with a quick recollection of the tale of the Good Samaritan, before applying the bible passage to the current climate of the world today.
‘I’m struck by the events of the last few days, again and again and again. And i’ve been listening to those who have been talking about it from within their own experience of injustice as people of colour in this country,’ he began.
‘It’s horrifying and yet I’m aware to that the church has its own failings. And I come back to the fact that in the New Testament Jesus says be angry about injustice, repent of injustice – that means go the other way, take action against injustice.
Archbishop Welby branded the level of racism which still exists ‘horrifying’ and admits the bible teaches that action should be taken against injustice
‘How that action is taken will vary from time to time and place to place. It must never involve the creation of more injustice, by seeking to damage other people.
‘But I feel within me, again today, that great call of Jesus that we are as a church to be those who set our own house in order and who acknowledge our own historic errors and failings.
‘As a person I acknowledge that I come from privilege and a place of power as a white person in this country, and then we take action.’
Thousands of people took to the streets in demonstrations across the UK as part of ongoing global protests sparked by the death of George Floyd at the hands of US police officers.
Unrest in London on Sunday led to 35 officers being injured and 36 people being arrested for offences including violent disorder, criminal damage and assaulting police, the Metropolitan Police said today.
In Bristol, police are continuing to investigate the ‘criminal damage’ of a bronze statue of prominent 17th century slave trader Edward Colston which was ripped down by protesters, a move Downing Street called a ‘criminal act’.