UK Edition
The Church of England will introduce a quota for black and minority ethnic (BAME) clergy on its leadership programme, roll out anti-racism training and contextualise church statues "that may cause pain or offence", a leaked report has revealed.
Last year, church officials set up a taskforce to investigate racism after the Most Rev Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, said during a General Synod debate that he was "sorry and ashamed… that we are still institutionally racist".
The number of clergy who identify as of a UK minority ethnic background has historically been low. Of the 42 diocesan bishops across the country, the only one from a BAME background is Guli Francis-Dehqani, the Bishop of Chelmsford.
According to 2019 ministry statistics, around 93.7 per cent of senior staff – a category that includes bishops, archdeacons and cathedral clergy – described themselves as being white British, a minor decrease from 2012 when the figure was 96 per cent.
The leaked report has shown how the new taskforce plans to address such imbalances, with recommendations such as a 30 per cent quota for BAME clergy on the leadership programme, an overhaul of education within CoE schools and clergy curriculum, all recruitment shortlists to include "at least one appointable UK minority ethnic candidate" and plans to "deal with" controversial statues and monuments.
The report, leaked to The Spectator and entitled "From Lament to Action: Report of the Archbishops' Anti-Racism Taskforce", said there should be "one UK minority ethnic clergy elected from each region".
The reforms will be funded and overseen by the creation of a Racial Justice Unit for a five-year fixed-term basis. The report is due before the Archbishops' Council next week, with a final version being published on April 22.
The draft document also suggests officials must "acknowledge, repent and take decisive action to address the shameful history and legacy" of the Church's involvement in the historic transatlantic slave trade and "deal with any part of the church building that may cause pain or offence".
"The Black Lives Matter movement, and in particular the dumping of the Colston statue in Bristol docks shed new light and brought needed urgency to the Church of England's consideration of its own contested heritage," it says.
It suggests that "programme cohorts" – a fast-track leadership programme for clergy deemed "ones to watch" – should have a minimum of 30 per cent UK minority ethnic participation "in order to build up pipeline supply".
It also urges all CoE primary and secondary schools to "develop a broad RE curriculum with specific reference to the promotion of racial justice", mark Black History Month and celebrate "diverse" saints and models.
After the report was leaked, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York released a statement saying: "The time for talking about tackling systemic racism has long since passed: this is a moment for decisive action. This draft report by an independent working group challenges that sin [of treating other Christians as lesser or other, and reinforcing prejudice] in practical and applied terms, and we welcome it for that reason."
Halima Begum, the director of the Runnymede Trust, a race equality think tank, welcomed the CoE's "intention of becoming more inclusive and welcoming to diverse congregations in the UK" and said: "Given the history and diversity of the Anglican Church, we sincerely hope that next week’s report by the Archbishop of Canterbury's Anti-Racism Taskforce will signal a long-term shift, one that marks the point at which the history and voices of non-white adherents and clergy within the CoE are truly embraced and celebrated."
It comes following a series of admissions from senior Church officials that more needs to be done to address the issues of racism and the lack of BAME clergy.
Last February, the General Synod resolved "to continue, with great effort and urgency, to stamp out all forms of conscious or unconscious racism" and to commit to "increase the participation and representation of lay and ordained BAME Anglicans throughout Church life".
Four months later, the Archbishop of Canterbury said the institution should reconsider portraying Jesus as white and think "very carefully" about its controversial monuments in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests, adding that "some will have to come down".
CLARIFICATION: This article has been amended to clarify that the 30 per cent quota for BAME clergy relates only to candidates on its leadership programme