The archbishop of Canterbury has intervened for the second time in a dispute over a contested memorial in the chapel at Jesus College, Cambridge, stating emphatically that “memorials to slave traders do not belong in places of worship”.
Commenting on the legal battle over a memorial plaque to Tobias Rustat, a 17th-century benefactor who invested in slavery, Justin Welby gave his unequivocal support to those seeking its removal and suggested the Church of England still had a long way to go on its journey towards racial justice.
The archbishop’s intervention came after Jesus College submitted a petition to the local diocese requesting the removal of the memorial from the chapel because its presence was having a negative impact on the mission and ministry of the church.
The college said the plaque would be relocated elsewhere in the college where it would not interfere with worship, but could be studied as an important historical memorial. Last month, however, a church court denied the petition, ruling that opposition to the memorial was based on “a false narrative” about the scale of the financial rewards Rustat gained from slavery and ordered that the memorial should remain in the chapel.
Welby said he had no doubt the law had been followed and the Church of England’s contested heritage guidance used, but added: “But if we are content with a situation where people of colour are excluded from places of worship because of the pain caused by such memorials, then clearly we have a lot further to go in our journey towards racial justice.”
It is not the first time the archbishop has felt compelled to intervene in the dispute. Earlier this year, speaking at the General Synod, he questioned why it was proving so difficult to move the Rustat memorial when it caused distress to people whose ancestors were sold into slavery. “I stand by those comments,” he said on Tuesday.
“The Church of England has a dark history where slavery is concerned that we need to confront. Racial injustice, inside the church and outside, is an issue that exists to this day,” Welby said.
“Since the end of 2019, the church commissioners, of which I am the chair and the archbishop of York is a board member, have embarked on the process to uncover and confront this dark past, with the aim of restoration, repair and promoting a better future for us all. They are due to report within the coming months on their findings.”
Earlier this week, Jesus College ruled out an appeal against the consistory court judgment. The master of the college, Sonita Alleyne, who is the first black master of an Oxbridge college, warned, however, that the church of England’s procedures for addressing issues of racial injustice and contested heritage were inadequate and not fit for purpose.
