The Church of England is moving ahead with controversial plans to launch a £100m fund aimed at addressing historic links to slavery.
The latest meeting of Synod heard that £1.15m has already been spent on Project Spire and the proposed Fund for Healing, Repair and Justice.
The Bishop of Norwich, Graham Usher, told Synod the money had been spent on "proportionate research into the Commissioners’ historical sources of funds and consideration of appropriate responses, including necessary legal advice and stakeholder engagement".
Project Spire was launched in 2023 after research commissioned by the Church concluded that the Queen Anne’s Bounty, a predecessor endowment fund of the Church Commissioners, had links to transatlantic chattel slavery through investments and benefactions.
The Fund for Healing, Repair and Justice is intended to redress this by supporting “a programme of investment, research and engagement” in communities "affected by historic transatlantic slavery, with the intention that it creates a lasting legacy".
Asked by a Synod member whether the project had been "abandoned," the bishop confirmed it was still moving forward, but said it had been held up by a legal challenge the Commissioners were taking seriously.
"Project Spire has not been abandoned," the bishop said.
"Furthermore, we note that in March 2026, the United Nations voted to describe the transatlantic chattel slave trade as the 'gravest crime against humanity'. This further reemphasises our moral imperative as a Christian, responsible investor to address the issue."
The bishop continued, "We had planned by now to apply to the Charity Commission to register the proposed Fund for Healing, Repair and Justice. We have, however, not totally unexpectedly, received a legal challenge in relation to this work.
"This must be respected, considered in a disciplined manner, and factored into our planned timetable for progress.
"We take this seriously and, as responsible custodians, we are taking appropriate advice to determine our next steps."
He added, "We continue to be outraged by our historic links to African chattel enslavement and our part in the responsibility for the enduring legacies of this abhorrent past that continue to affect the lives of people today."
Recent polling found that 81 per cent of churchgoers believe the money should be used instead to support local parishes, while 61 per cent said they may cease providing financial support if Project Spire goes ahead.
Critics argue that the Church Commissioners may not have the legal authority to use endowment funds in this way and question whether the proposal is compatible with their duties as charity trustees.
Challenged on this point in Synod questions, Bishop Usher said, "The Commissioners ensure that expenditure is applied only within their charitable purposes and powers."
An outspoken critic of Project Spire is Oxford professor and Anglican theologian, Lord Nigel Biggar, who has argued against reparations, saying they would effectively privilege black suffering over that of everyone else.
Last year Conservative MPs and peers wrote to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, urging her to abandon the plans. The letter was signed by 27 senior Conservatives, including Shadow Home Office minister, Katie Lam.
It said that the Church Commissioner fund should be used to strengthen local parishes and not for “high-profile and legally dubious vanity projects”.
It also stated that Charity Commission rules require charitable funds be used for the purpose for which they were donated.
“By law, the endowment must be used to support parish ministry, maintain church buildings, and care for the Church’s historic records," the letter reads.
"At a moment when churches across the country are struggling to keep their doors open - many even falling into disrepair - it’s wrong to try and justify diverting £100 million to a project entirely separate from those core obligations.”
In addition, it warned about the precedent it would set: “If a major national institution redefines its charitable purposes to embrace political projects of this kind, it will put pressure on every other historic institution — universities, museums, galleries, even the Crown — to follow suit, regardless of their legal objects or donors’ intentions.”
Dr Richard Dale, Emeritus Professor of the University of Southampton and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, has argued strongly against the narrative that the Queen Anne's Bounty benefited financially from the slave trade.
Writing on theologian Ian Paul's blog, he said this narrative was "demonstrably false".
"The Church Commissioners’ historical advisers have misled the Commissioners, the Commissioners have misled Church leaders and Church leaders have misled the public at large. Because there is incontrovertible evidence that Queen Anne’s Bounty’s investments earned not one penny from the slave trade," he said.
He accused the Church leadership of closing ranks and refusing to engage with critics.
"I have not taken a view on whether Project Spire might or might not be a good thing. However, history matters and what is certain is that such a scheme should not be launched on the back of a false historical narrative," he said.
"Project Spire should therefore be paused while the Church Commissioners, in accordance with their publicly declared commitment to transparency, accountability and evidence-based research, disclaim their original research findings and amend their report accordingly."
