John Sentamu today became the Church of England’s first black Archbishop when he was appointed Archbishop of York.

The 56-year-old Bishop of Birmingham fled Uganda for England in 1974 for his own safety after becoming an outspoken critic of Idi Amin’s regime.

Having been a barrister in Uganda, he trained as a priest at Cambridge, and served in a succession of London parishes before becoming first Bishop of Stepney and later Bishop of Birmingham.

In a statement, he said that his appointment to the Church of England’s second-most senior role was an "exciting prospect".

He added: "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."

Bishop 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 become first a barrister then a High Court judge.

After clashing with the regime he came to England and at first 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" - and he was ordained into the priesthood in 1979.

He rose to a high public profile 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. Later Bishop Sentamu chaired the Damilola Taylor review in 2002.

In Birmingham he has been a prominent campaigner against gun crime and also worked closely with MG Rover workers after the car firm collapsed.

He said he would not be leaving the city immediately and wanted to continue such work "to ensure that they are not forgotten and they have real opportunities to rebuild their working lives".

He added: "At the same time I have just publicly signed a commitment with hundreds of church leaders from Birmingham and the surrounding areas pledging ourselves to work together for the good of this region and the millions of people living here."

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.

His appointment as the country’s second most senior archbishop was approved by the Queen on the recommendation of Tony Blair.

Bishop Sentamu succeeds the Most Reverend David Hope, who resigned in February to take up a post as a parish priest in Ilkley, West Yorkshire.

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