On 17th June morning, John Sentamu, currently the Bishop of Birmingham has been appointed as the next Archbishop of York, with official approval from Queen Elizabeth II. The 56-year-old bishop from Uganda will be the first black Archbishop in the history of the Church of England.
Growing up and educated in Uganda, Bishop Sentamu was once a barrister and a High Court judge before coming to the UK in 1974. He studied theology at Selwyn College Cambridge where he gained a Masters Degree and a Doctorate. He trained for ordination at Ridley Hall, Cambridge, then part of the Cambridge Federation of Theological Colleges.
In 1979, he was ordained into the priesthood. He has been serving in many parts of England throughout his ministry, mainly in positions of pastoral care. He was appointed Bishop of Stepney in 1996 and Bishop of Birmingham in 2002.
According to the Times, specialising in Law, Bishop Sentamu rose as a high public figure, as adviser to the Lawrence inquiry from 1997 to 1999, which explored how racist attitudes might have affected the police investigation into the murder of a promising black teenager. In Birmingham he has been a prominent campaigner against gun crime.
Bishop Sentamu appears to have particular interest over equality and social issues. He was a member of the Archbishop’s Advisory Group on Urban Priority Areas from 1987, and of the Revision Committee for the Ordination of Women to the Priesthood. He was Chairman of the General Synod’s Committee for Minority Ethnic Anglican Concerns between 1990 and 1999. He is now a member of the Commission on Urban Life and Faith.
Bishop Sentamu is very excited with his appointment to the Church of England’s second-most senior role. He said in a statement, "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."
