Britain's first black archbishop

Britain today got its first black archbishop after the the Bishop of Birmingham, the Rt Rev John Sentamu, was named as the new Archbishop of York.

His appointment raises the prospect of a black Archbishop of Canterbury.

Dr Sentamu, 56, was raised in Uganda before coming to Britain in 1974. He made his mark as the Bishop of Stepney in the Nineties.

The Queen has formally approved the appointment in the wake of the decision of Dr David Hope to quit in February.

It is regarded as a remarkable achievement for a man who was born into poverty in Africa and whose journey to the top of the Church of England included being beaten to the brink of death by Idi Amin's henchmen.

Born the sixth of 13 children near Kampala, he was said to have been so small at birth the local bishop was called to baptise him immediately.

Despite his impoverished background Dr Sentamu became a barrister and then a High Court judge.

His was spurred to join the priesthood by the murder of the Ugandan Archbishop Janani Luwum, reportedly proclaiming: "You kill my friend, I take his place."

He became an outspoken critic of Amin's dictatorship, criticising his human rights record and anti-democratic practices. Fearing for his life, he fled to England in 1974. Rising through the ranks of the Church, he was appointed Bishop of Stepney and then, in 2002, Bishop of Birmingham.

During his time in London he impressed ministers in his role as an adviser to the inquiry into the death of Stephen Lawrence and as chairman of the Damilola Taylor review in 2002.

But Dr Sentamu has not been afraid to criticise Tony Blair's government. In his inaugural sermon in Birmingham he called on the Government to remove the "bureaucratic shackles" which he believed were hampering the education system. And at the height of the Iraq crisis in 2003, the bishop led church-wide protests against the conflict, denouncing the British and American-led invasion as having "no moral basis".

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, today praised him as a "caring pastor and exciting communicator," adding: "I am absolutely delighted to welcome the appointment of Bishop John Sentamu as Archbishop of York.

"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. I look forward with great enthusiasm to working with him."

Dr Hope also welcomed the appointment, saying: "I wish John Sentamu well in his new appointment and assure him of my prayers as he takes on the new role."

The Bishop of Ripon and Leeds, the Rt Rev John Packer, said: "I am delighted that John Sentamu is to be the new Archbishop of York. He brings a world wide perspective from his background in Uganda.

"He is an inspirational figure within General Synod and I look forward to that inspiration being shared with us in the north of England."