This was published in the February issue of the Bermuda Diocesan News:On March 24, there will be major celebrations in the UK, especially in London, commemorating the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade by the British Parliament. It was in 1807 that this momentous event occurred after the strenuous efforts of many people for a number of years to achieve the ending of an evil trade in men, women and children. It took some very courageous Christians along with others, who realised that slavery was an abomination, to bring about a radical change in the society in which they lived. That was a remarkable achievement at any time, let alone in the 18th and 19th centuries.

In December I wrote the following for The Royal Gazette <$>at the beginning of their ‘Break the Chains’ campaign.

“The 200th Anniversary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade is to be commemorated in 2007 in Britain and elsewhere. We are immensely thankful for the tireless efforts of many persons, several of whom were staunch Anglicans (members of the Church of England), who were responsible for ending this evil trade in humanity. We think of and give thanks for such men as William Wilberforce and Granville Sharp whose courage and tenacity made this possible in the face of tremendous opposition, particularly from business interests. For they saw a profitable source of revenue being threatened by the efforts of Sharp and Wilberforce and others. The morality of engaging in this kind of enterprise (slavery) seems not to have been of much consequence to them, profitability was their only motive.

As we reflect upon the past, we look to our present and we discover that slavery still exists in diverse forms in our world.

So 2007 is an opportune time to bring to the attention of all people this terrible fact. It has been said that as many as 12 million people are enslaved. That is a mind boggling figure. It is the teaching of the Church that all men are created in the image and likeness of God. That image and likeness is diminished and marred when anyone is bound in slavery. Our Lord Jesus commands his disciples to love our neighbours as ourselves. Our neighbour includes everyone, including the slave. It is therefore our obligation to do all that we can to see to it that all in slavery, of whatever kind, is set free.”

To the above I would add that this commemoration presents us in Bermuda with a wonderful opportunity. First of all we offer thanks to God for the courage and tenacity of the many brave men and women who did a great and wonderful thing in helping to set free their fellows from the bondage of slavery. Secondly, it gives us a chance to give thought to the cost to both parties of involvement in the slave trade. For the slave it meant the loss of liberty, identity, culture, language, and often times, family and friends. A price that is almost unimaginable in its awfulness, and one that is still being paid in our own time by their descendants. Though it is easy, for some, at this distance in time to play down the significance of such losses; but it mean> deprivation of the worse possible kind. As we think of these things we can be thankful that liberation did in fact come to them over time. On the other hand the slave owner, despite the obvious ‘benefits’ of slave ownership, became a diminished human being, simply because of that which he inflicted upon his “property”. Though he was probably blissfully unaware of his impoverishment as a human being.

Some years ago while in Liverpool for a meeting of Bishops of the Church of England, I was present at a reception in the City Hall, a rather splendid edifice. At some point in the course of the evening I realised that its splendour was in large measure due to the slave trade. Once this realisation dawned my enjoyment of the party was greatly diminished.

Thirdly the celebration of the 200th Anniversary of the abolition of slavery also presents us with a chance to engage one another on that thorny subject of “race”. A subject that most would rather avoid, because it can be painful. I would hope that we are mature enough by now to think and speak creatively and with integrity about this oftentimes emotive matter. Though sometimes I wonder about that! We need to have a real conversation about this subject rather than making veiled threats and making use of innuendo. In the end that achieves nothing at all, except to make somebody angry. All too often we go some ways along this road, and when it gets difficult to listen to, we retreat from the discussion. We have to learn how to soldier on, stay the course, despite our fears and anxieties in this area. We need to find a resolution that is lasting, for the well being of our community.

That the Church, through some of her members was involved in and benefited from the slave trade is beyond doubt. And that is cause for great shame, regret and deep repentance.

The 200th Anniversary celebrations presents the Church here in Bermuda, as well as elsewhere, with a great opportunity to give expression to that. Though the present generation is not responsible for that which occurred in the past, yet they can, if they will, help in the healing process by means of an expression of their repentance of the sins of their fathers and mothers who preceded them.

This however will require a measure of courage on the part of those brave enough to do this.

We here in Bermuda should be very proud of and thankful for the contribution of Mary Prince, a Bermudian slave, whose book, “The History of Mary Prince,” published in England in 1831, about her time as a slave played a significant role in bringing this terrible trade eventually to an end. As we know slavery did not actually end until 1834 in Bermuda. Is there to be a stamp commemorating her role to be issued in Bermuda at some point this year, or will we have to wait until 2034? It is worth noting that a series of stamps have been issued in the UK commemorating the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery.

As we share in this celebration in one way or another, I trust that our thoughts and prayers will not lose sight of those many millions, who in our sophisticated world find themselves entrapped in slavery. Their plight is grievous, and is most worthy of our prayerful concernB>On March 25 at 5 p.m. in the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity there will be a service in commemoration of the abolition of Slavery. All are invited to attend.