Drexel Gomez, the Archbishop of the West Indies (right) symbolically removes chains from a member of the 'March ofthe Abolitionists' - a group who walked 250 miles (402 km) to London in chains - at a service in Victoria Gardens in London yesterday. - REUTERS

The Archbishops of Canterbury and York led a procession through London yesterday to mark the 200th anniversary of Britain's abolition of the slave trade, according to a BBC report.

Dr. Rowan Williams and Dr. John Sentamu were joined by foreign dignitaries and leaders of other churches for the Walk of Witness. Dr. Williams said it was a way Anglicans could try to heal "historic injustices inflicted in the name of the Church".

Last year, the Church of England made a formal apology for its role in slavery. The Church held slaves on plantations in the Caribbean.

An amendment "recognising the damage done" to those enslaved was backed overwhelmingly by the General Synod in February 2006.

The bicentenary of the 1807 act that banned the slave trade in the British Empire is today.

The Church said the archbishops wanted people to reflect on the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade and use the anniversary to tackle the impact of its legacies, including "examples of human trafficking and oppression across the globe".

Dr. Williams said slavery had contributed to the downward spiral of nations trapped in poverty.

Repentance, acknowledgement

"The intention of today is not only to renew that act of repentance, not just an apology but repentance, acknowledgement that we were part of this terrible history, but also to wake people up to where we are now, the fact there still are problems.

"It's an opportunity to involve people whose ancestors were involved in this, who are still feeling the effects of it, and so bring to light some of what it meant, some of what it cost."

The walk went from Whitehall, past the Houses of Parliament, and across Lambeth Bridge to Kensington Park, where there was a service of commemoration.

In the procession was a group who walked 250 miles from Hull - the parliamentary seat of the abolitionist MP William Wilberforce - in yokes and chains.

At Lambeth Pier, the archbishops led prayers while holding a wreath marked 2,704 - the number of ships that left London destined to carry slaves during the transatlantic slave trade. The Archbishop of the West Indies, Drexel Gomez, who symbolically released the Hull walkers, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he believes an apology is in order.