Church’s £100m magic money tree

AS A vicar’s wife of 27 years, I’d like to respond to the Church of England’s decision to set aside £100 million to address its past connections to slavery. The Church is made up of many faithful priests like my husband. For a number of years he had a dual role as parish priest and police chaplain. Unknown to him, the police made up half his stipend. When he was made redundant from the chaplain role in 2012, not only did he lose half of his income, but his entitlement to a full pension and other clergy benefits disappeared overnight.

With his congregation, I have campaigned on his behalf to have his status returned to a full-time priest on a full stipend. It’s disappointing that we have been ignored.

We wrote to Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury and chairman of the Church Commissioners, but our appeal failed. We have been told my husband’s stipend can’t be returned to full as there is no money in the kitty and the Church of England is struggling to pay clergy and keep churches open. So imagine how we feel that suddenly out of nowhere the Church has found £100 million to compensate for historic links to slavery. My hard-working husband continues to work full-time on half-pay and is faithful to his vocation and calling to be a priest.

Mrs LESLEY EDWARDS, Newcastle upon Tyne.

ARCHBISHOP Justin Welby has miraculously found a spare £100 million in Church of England coffers to address the slavery of many hundred years ago. Why is this the fault of people living in the 21st century?

The minds of local vicars must be boggling when church roofs are leaking, but they are told money is short and to get the funds from congregations. Yet the archbishop is able to find a magic money tree for this historic issue. With a leader of the Church who repeatedly panders to wokery, is it any wonder attendance is falling?

G. DAWSON, Liverpool.

WHILE the homeless sleep on the streets and tens of thousands depend on food banks, the Church of England finds £100 million to compensate historical slavery, we spend millions on sending armaments to the Ukraine and local authorities squander a fortune on accommodation for migrants. Something is seriously wrong with the decisions made by those who control public funds.

K. MORRIS, Cavendish, suffolk.