The Steering Committee of the World Methodist Council (WMC) has renewed calls for apologies from former colonial powers and the implementation of reparative justice for slavery and colonialism, after a solemn visit to the historic Cape Coast Castle in Ghana.
The call comes as the committee holds its annual meeting in Accra, where members reflected on the legacies of slavery and colonialism, and urging world leaders to confront those injustices with concrete actions.
The committee, in a statement signed by its General Secretary, Reverend Dr Reynaldo Ferreira Leão Neto, and shared with The Ghanaian Times on Monday, threw its weight behind the 15-point Accra Proclamation of 2023 and the 10-point reparations plan of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
Both documents seek to hold European countries accountable for the transatlantic slave trade and colonial exploitation while urging them to adopt measures to repair historical wrongs.
In the statement, the WMC said the former colonial powers have an ethical duty to atone for the enduring harm caused to Africa, the Caribbean and South America. It urged European governments to issue formal apologies, cancel debts, and commit to long-term investments in health, education and technology in the affected regions.
“As Christians, we ask forgiveness from God and humanity that God’s message of liberation was turned into a tool of slavery in the past and, in some instances, in the present,” the Council declared, adding that, “The Cape Coast Castle dungeon beneath the chapel, and the ‘door of no return,’ stand as an abomination before God, in whose image all human beings are created.”
The Steering Committee also encouraged the 83 member churches of the World Methodist Council in 132 countries to campaign actively for reparations. Citing the ethical principle of John Wesley, the Council noted that every individual has a duty to “do no harm, and to do good,” stressing that personal goodness must also find expression in political action that transforms unjust systems.
Beyond its call for global reparative measures, the WMC Steering Committee expressed its deepest condolences to the government and people of Ghana, following the recent tragic deaths of government officials and military officers.
The World Methodist Council, which represents more than 80 million members worldwide, reiterated its commitment to justice, reconciliation and the pursuit of humane social structures
FROM TIMES REPORTER, CAPE COAST
