Church of England confirms it will apologize for centuries of supporting anti-semitism in England

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – The Church of England has confirmed it will officially apologize for the church’s involvement in the expulsion of Jews from medieval England, the Telegraph reports. Jewish groups have welcomed the move.

The church’s General Synod legislative body said on Monday it is planning to offer an “act of repentance” for supporting historic anti-semitic legislation such as forcing Jews to wear identification badges and barring them from certain professions, the Telegraph reports. These laws ultimately led to the expulsion of Jews from England in the 13th century.

In a statement about the expression of repentance, Rt. Rev. Dr. Michael Ipgrave, Bishop of Lichfield and chairman of the Council of Christians and Jews said the forthcoming 800th anniversary of the Synod of Oxford could provide a setting for a local act of repentance. “This is currently being explored in partnership with the Council of Christians and Jews,” Ipgrave said.

“We are exploring the idea of such a service to be planned in conjunction with the Council of Christians and Jews, as well as the potential for a liturgical resource that might be offered to local churches to model an appropriate symbolic repentance,” Ipgrave confirmed.

Responding to the CofE plans, Dave Rich, director of policy at the Community Security Trust, an organization which provides security to the British Jewish community and which records anti-Semitic incidents, said in a statement: “The historic trauma of medieval English anti-Semitism can never be erased and its legacy survives today… But at a time of rising anti-Semitism, the support and empathy of the Church of England for our Jewish community is most welcome as a reminder that the Britain of today is a very different place.”

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