Study: Church of England "institutionally racist”

Study: Church of England "institutionally racist”

"Parish clergy are part of the problem," the newspaper quoted the Rev. Rose Hudson-Wilkin, the chair of the committee that produced the report, as saying. "Whether consciously or unconsciously, they are not encouraging black people who are in their churches to come forward."

"Our report shows there are some who are aware of the issue and acting to improve the situation, but the church is still a long way from reaching an acceptable level of equality."

A spokesman for the Church of England said no official comment could be made on the report's contents until it is released.

But he said the report "acknowledges that while much progress has been made, there is still some way to go before the Church represents the model of equality which it believes Christ's Gospel calls for," he said, on condition of anonymity in line with church policy.