Digicel’s Denis O’Brien, founder of The Repair Campaign, says he welcomes the recommendations made by the Church of England’s independent Oversight Group on how the Church can begin to make amends for its historic links to chattel enslavement in the Caribbean.

The Oversight Group was tasked with advising on the Church Commissioners’ response to its links with African chattel enslavement. In its recommendations, the Group said the Church of England should create a fund of £1 billion to address its historic links to slavery.

The stipulated amount is reportedly ten times what was originally set aside.

Dubbing slavery as an “unfathomable crime against humanity,” O’Brien outlined that Caribbean countries are still living with its legacy.

“Former colonial powers, including the UK, left these countries with deep economic and social challenges after gaining their independence. These challenges, as a direct result of colonialism, are still impacting each country today,” his statement on Monday read. “A rare opportunity now exists for an honest conversation in the UK to begin to heal the past.”

“We call on all other UK institutions with historic links to enslavement, including the Royal family, successor corporate entities, Universities, families, and the UK Government to finally do the right thing and apologise,” it continued.

An independent oversight group established by the church said on Monday that a 100-million-pound fund announced in 2023 was insufficient compared to the wealth of the church and “the moral sin and crime of African chattel enslavement.”

According to a report from The Associated Press, the Church Commissioners, the church’s financial arm, said it accepted the group’s recommendations, including a target of £1 billion “and above” for a pool of money known as the Fund for Healing, Repair and Justice.

The report said the church disclosed that it won’t immediately add to its £100-million commitment. But it will spend the initial money over five years, rather than nine as originally scheduled, and hopes to start distributing it by the end of the year.