THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND AND WITCHCRAFT

The Advocacy for Alleged Witches (AfAW) salutes the Church of Scotland for taking steps to acknowledge abuses linked to Scotland`s historic witchcraft laws centuries ago. At its 2022 General Assembly, the church accepted the motion brought by Rev Prof Susan Hardman that regrets the terrible harm caused to alleged witches in Scotland. AfAW received this news of the Church of Scotland`s acknowledgment with much excitement and hope for the future of its campaign to end witch-hunting in Africa.

This development marks a significant step in the efforts by Witches of Scotland to win justice, legal pardon, apology, and national monument for thousands of people mostly women who were convicted of witchcraft and executed between 1563 and 1736. AfAW is delighted by the progress that the campaign by Witches of Scotland has made. On March 8, 2022, the International Women`s Day, the Scottish first minister, Nicola Surgeon, offered a formal apology to people accused of witchcraft in the 16th and 18th centuries. 

Incidentally, this campaign has elicited criticisms from some segments of the Scottish population who think that the initiative is unnecessary because these are wrongs committed centuries ago. Some people say that such a campaign is an anachronism to the current generation of Scottish people. But these critics are greatly mistaken. They have forgotten that injustice is injustice no matter how long in the past it was committed. And it is never too late to say: “I am sorry”. It is never too late to acknowledge mistakes and wrongdoings. It is never too late to remedy past injustices, especially when these injustices are still meted out to people in some parts of the world.

Leo Igwe, nskepticleo@yahoo.com