Church of England's racial justice crusader Sentamu retires
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London,(AFP/APP):The Churchw of England's second most important bishop used his farewell service as the Archbishop of York on Sunday to reflect on the brutality of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin and pray for those who suffered hardship during the lockdown in Britain.
John Sentamu stirred up the Church of England with his focus on racial injustice and inner-city crime when he became Britain's first senior black bishop in 2002.
He first challenged the Church and other British institutions to address the problem of institutional racism in 1999.
Sentamu became the Archbishop of York -- informally the second-most important post in the hierarchy after the Archbishop of Canterbury -- 15 years ago.
The 70-year-old recalled fleeing Amin's reign of terror in 1974 and other hardships in his final prayer on BBC Radio York.
"I have lived through Idi Amin's brutality in Uganda, salmonella poisoning, a burst appendix, prostate cancer and three serious operations," Sentamu said.
The BBC's religion and ethics editor Ashley Peatfield called Sentamu "a cornerstone of the Church for 15 years (who) has become a household name to millions".
