White Bermudians need to show penitence for the Island?s racist history if people are to be properly reconciled, Anglican Bishop of Bermuda Ewen Ratteray has urged.

And black Bermudians who harbour grievances for past injustices risk destroying themselves and their relationships with others, he said.

Writing in the Anglican Church newsletter, Bishop Ratteray said the church had to shoulder ?considerable blame? for not fighting the injustices suffered by black Bermudians in the past.

The church should have been pushing for social change in the 1960s rather than being being reactive.

?In giving thought to the past, we should not avoid the need for there to be some form of penitence for those things that caused pain and suffering to others,? he wrote.

?This is, without doubt, far from an easy matter for many; it may well be painful, but I believe it is part of what needs to be done if we are truly to be healed of all past hurts.

?Only when that happens will be able to move forward in a positive way. True reconciliation and healing requires an honest look at ourselves and a willingness to accept responsibility for our own sins as well as the sins of our fathers and mothers.

?One of the difficulties we face in doing this is one the one hand, a refusal by some to admit that there are residual problems in this area.

?And on the other hand, there are those who harbour a ?bucket load? of hurts and humiliations from the distant or recent past.

?Of the two, the latter is the most dangerous in that it has the capacity to eat away and destroy people and those around them.

?This has often led to a tendency for relationships to be spoiled in a lot of ways.

?We must move ahead in a way that will bring healing and wholeness to our church and the wider community in which we live.?

Referring to the role the Anglican Church plays in the struggles for racial equality, Bishop Ratteray wrote: ?The Anglican Church has to shoulder considerable blame for the part she played in the unequal and unjust treatment which black people had to live under for a very long time.

?These were less than good times, and the sad thing is that church, rather than being proactive for change, was simply reactive. She was a follower rather than a leader in the changes that began to take place in the 1960s.

?Yet we are thankful that we are now a church that reflects in a wonderful way the rich diversity that is present day Bermuda.

?In congregations throughout the diocese, people of all races, hues and cultures worship and work together happily.

?The fact that I, a man of colour, am the Bishop of Bermuda is of considerable significance given our past history.?

A report by the Church?s committee on racism found no evidence of ?blatant discrimination? but made ten recommendations to deal with perceptions of racism.

According to the newsletter, among the recommendations were that church members had to be ?more conscious of perceptions that can lead to a belief that racism is alive and well?.

It was recommended all incidents be dealt with on a case by case basis, and that the Commission for Unity and Racial Equality give a workshop on how to be open and candid.

At a meeting which discussed the report on June 26 there were ?views ranging from Archdeacon Arnold Hollis strongly believing that racism still did exist in the church, to Father Gary Colville being proud that the Anglican Church was the most integrated church in Bermuda,? the newsletter reports.

?The Anglican Church is hoping its worldwide leader, the Archbishop of Canterbury will visit Bermuda next year.

The church next year celebrates the 30th anniversary of a name change which made it an autonomous body within the Anglican Communion.

And Bishop Ewen Ratteray is hoping the new Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams will come to the Island to join the 30th anniversary celebrations.

Writing in the diocesan newsletter, Bishop Ratteray writes that in 1975 the church changed its name from the Church of England in Bermuda to the Anglican Church of Bermuda.

The church then became considered an extra provincial diocese of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

?Up to now, no consensus has been arrived at as to which province we might align ourselves. The choices are Canterbury/York England, one of the ECUSA (American) provinces, a Canadian province, or the provinces of the West Indies,? the bishop writes.

?One of our great hopes for next year is that the Archbishop of Canterbury will be able to come and share our celebrations.?The Bishop also notes Anglicanism has been deeply entwined in the fabric of Bermuda since the Island was settled.

There was an Anglican priest onboard Sir George Somers? ship the , whose sinking off St. George?s in 1609 led to the settlement of Bermuda.