Bishop of Birmingham appointed to See of York
Rt Rev John Sentamu, the Church of England’s first black Archbishop
John Sentamu, Bishop of Birmingham, has been appointed as the new Archbishop of York to replace David Hope, Downing Street announced this morning. He is expected to take up his post in the late autumn.
He is 56 and married with two grown-up children.
Bishop John Sentamu was born the sixth of 13 children near Kampala, and was said to be so tiny at birth the local bishop was called to baptise him immediately. But he went on to train as a lawyer and become first a barrister then a High Court judge.
He was an outspoken critic of Idi Amin’s regime and was arrested before fleeing to the UK in 1974. At first he intended to return to Uganda. But when Ugandan Archbishop Janani Luwum was murdered he is said to have vowed "You kill my friend, I take his place". He trained as a priest at Cambridge, was ordained in 1979 and served in several London parishes before becoming Bishop of Stepney and then, in 2002, Bishop of Birmingham.
He was an adviser to the Stephen Lawrence inquiry, and chaired the Damilola Taylor review into the stabbing of the Nigerian schoolboy. In Birmingham he has been a prominent campaigner on gun crime, and has been working closely with MG Rover workers since the firm collapsed. He said he would not be leaving the city immediately and wanted to continue such work “to ensure they are not forgotten and they have real opportunities to rebuild their working lives�.
Bishop Sentamu said of his appointment, “I am excited about my future role and I am looking forward to working with the Archbishop of Canterbury and other bishops to lead the Church of England in its mission to the nation.
“It is imperative that the Church regains her vision and confidence in mission, developing ways that will enable the Church of England to reconnect imaginatively with England.
“It is important that the Church of England’s voice is heard locally, nationally and internationally, standing up for justice, bringing good news to the poor, healing to the broken-hearted, setting at liberty those who are oppressed, and proclaiming the death of Christ and his resurrection until he comes again.�
Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams welcomed the news and praised the bishop's efforts to combat racism.
Dr Williams said: "He is someone who has always combined a passion for sharing the gospel with a keen sense of the problems and challenges of our society, particularly where racism is concerned.
"He is a caring pastor and an exciting communicator. I look forward with great enthusiasm to working with him."
The bishop and his wife Margaret have two grown-up children, Grace and Geoffrey. His interests are said to include music, cooking, reading, athletics, rugby and soccer.
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