Sentamu (A Life)

With the verve and panache that characterized his ministry, Sentamu tells the incredible story of a boy from rural Uganda who became the first Black Archbishop in the Church of England.

Born in 1949, John Tucker Mugabi Sentamu fled his native country in 1974 following a turbulent time when, as an advocate of the High Court of Uganda, he was imprisoned for speaking out against the oppressive regime of Idi Amin.

Ordained in 1979, he was Bishop of Stepney from 1996 to 2002, when he served on the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Team and chaired the Damilola Taylor Murder Investigation Review. He became Bishop of Birmingham from 2002, before being enthroned as Archbishop of York in 2005.

Throughout his long and at times controversial career, Sentamu has campaigned on a range of vital issues - including the family, gay relationships, multiculturalism, poverty, race, slavery, the welfare of young people, and conflict and injustice abroad.

His open, honest and occasionally controversial account of life within the Church of England touches on key religious and political events of the past fifty years, and includes his robust response to allegations made against him during his retirement.

Throughout it all his stated priorities shine through: 'to seek God's rule of justice, peace and love' and 'to be part of God's movement of change, standing at the intersection where human need and God's love meet.'