John Sentamu
PC | |
---|---|
Archbishop of York and Primate of England | |
Province | York |
Diocese | York |
In office | 2005–2020 |
Predecessor | David Hope |
Successor | Stephen Cottrell |
Other post(s) |
|
Orders | |
Ordination | 1979 |
Consecration | 25 September 1996 by George Carey |
Personal details | |
Born | John Tucker Mugabi Sentamu 10 June 1949 Kampala, Uganda |
Nationality | British |
Denomination | Church of England |
Parents | John and Ruth Walakira[1] |
Spouse |
Margaret Wanambwa (m. 1973) |
Children | 2 Lord Spiritual |
In office 25 January 2006 – 7 June 2020 | |
John Tucker Mugabi Sentamu, Baron Sentamu,
Born near Kampala in Uganda, Sentamu studied law at Makerere University before gaining employment as an advocate of the Supreme Court of Uganda. Speaking out against the regime of President Idi Amin, he was briefly imprisoned before fleeing in 1974 to the United Kingdom, where he devoted himself to Anglicanism, beginning his study of theology at Selwyn College, Cambridge, in 1976 and eventually gaining a doctorate in 1984. He studied for ordination at Ridley Hall, Cambridge, and was ordained in 1979. In 1996 he was consecrated as the area bishop of Stepney and in 2002 became Bishop of Birmingham. In 2005 he was appointed to the office of Archbishop of York.
He has also received attention for his vocal criticism of former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe.
Sentamu was omitted from the first list of new peerages following his resignation as archbishop,
Biography
Early life
Sentamu was born in 1949 in Masooli village,
Education and early ministry
Sentamu studied theology at
Sentamu was
Archbishop of York
On 17 June 2005 the
For a week in August 2006, Sentamu camped in York Minster, forgoing food in solidarity with those affected by the Middle East conflict, especially the children and other civilians killed and injured during the
On 7 March 2007, Sentamu was installed as the first Chancellor of York St John University. On 1 June 2007 he was appointed as the first Chancellor of the University of Cumbria. He took up the position when the university opened on 1 August 2007.[21] In July 2009, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by University of Chester.[22] On 15 July 2010, Sentamu was presented with an honorary degree from the University of York by the Provost of Vanbrugh College, David Efird of the Department of Philosophy,[23] and on 16 July 2010 was presented with an honorary degree from the University of Leeds by the chancellor of the university, Melvyn Bragg.[24]
On 16 July 2007, Sentamu was presented with an honorary degree from the University of Hull by the chancellor of the university, Virginia Bottomley, at Hull City Hall during the graduation ceremony for graduands of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.[25] On 19 July 2007 he was presented with an honorary degree (Doctor of Letters) from the University of Sheffield in recognition of his distinguished career as a scholar and theologian.[26]
In October 2007 Sentamu was awarded the "Yorkshireman of the Year" title by the Black Sheep Brewery. In his acceptance speech he praised the welcome he had received from the people of Yorkshire and made reference to the "African-Yorkshire DNA connection", joking that perhaps his parents had this in mind when they gave him the name "Mugabi", which, spelled backwards, is "Ibagum" ("ee-by-gum", a stock phrase popularly supposed to be used to express shock or disbelief in northern England).[27] In 2008 Archbishop Thurstan Church of England School in Hull was renamed Archbishop Sentamu Academy in his honour.[citation needed]
In October 2018, Sentamu announced his retirement, scheduled for 7 June 2020.[28] In June 2019, he ordained his wife as a deacon.[29]
Retirement
It was announced in the
Sentamu moved with his wife to
In May 2023, he was asked to step back from active ministry by the Bishop of Newcastle after an independent review found he failed to act on a sexual abuse disclosure.[32] Sentamu acknowledged that he did not act on the disclosure but that claimed it was not his responsibility as archbishop to deal with the disclosure as "the action following a disclosure to the bishop of Sheffield was his and his alone".[33] He further tried to claim that the law prevented him acting:
"Safeguarding is very important but it does not trump Church Law (which is part of the Common Law of England). And the Law is not susceptible to be used as an excuse for exercising the role given to an Archbishop. Church Law sets the boundaries for Diocesan Bishops and Archbishops."[33]
Views
Sentamu has spoken on issues including young people, the family, slavery, and injustice and conflict abroad. In an early TV appearance in 1988 he joined, among others,
In 2006, Sentamu featured prominently in the British press because of his comments on the treatment of detainees in Guantanamo Bay Naval Base.[37]
Poverty
Sentamu regrets that many low paid workers are not paid enough to lift them and their families out of poverty.
The issue is one that strikes to the heart of the moral fabric of our society. For the very first time the majority of households in poverty in Britain have at least one person working. The nature of poverty in Britain is changing dramatically. For millions of hard-pressed people, work is no longer a route out of poverty. (...) Low pay is a scourge on our society, and we all pay for it. Low pay costs the taxpayer between 3.6 and 6 billion pounds a year in tax credits, in-work benefits and lost tax receipts. And as disposable income available to the lowest paid reduces, so too does the demand in the economy.[38]
Once upon a time you couldn't really be living in poverty if you had a regular income, you could find yourself on a low income, yes. But that is not longer so. You can be in work and still live in poverty.[39]
Sentamu believes that food poverty is causing malnutrition in the UK. In 2013, he said that "last year more than 27,000 people were diagnosed as suffering from malnutrition in Leeds – not Lesotho, not Liberia, not Lusaka but Leeds?" and feels these reports "disgrace us all, leaving a dark stain on our consciences".[39] Government welfare reforms were
"beginning to bite – with reductions in housing benefit for so-called under-occupation of social housing, the cap on benefits for workless householders and single parents, and the gradual replacement of the disability living allowance with a personal independence payment".[39]
General election
In the run up to the 2017 United Kingdom general election Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby and John Sentamu campaigned over the need to address poverty, education, housing and health. The archbishops stressed the importance of "education for all, of urgent and serious solutions to our housing challenges, the importance of creating communities as well as In the run up to the 2017 United Kingdom general election, and a confident and flourishing health service that gives support to all – especially the vulnerable – not least at the beginning and end of life."[40]
Stop and search
In 2000, Sentamu, then Bishop of Stepney, was stopped by a City of London Police officer near St Paul's Cathedral. Sentamu claimed it was the eighth time he had been questioned by police in eight years, and that he was the only Church of England bishop to have been stopped by police in this way.[41] In a 2010 debate in the House of Lords, Sentamu was critical of the standards of "reasonable grounds to suspect" applied by police.[42]
Robert Mugabe
On 9 December 2007, during a live television interview with Andrew Marr on BBC One, Sentamu made a protest against Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe. Sentamu took the white insert off his clerical shirt and cut it up stating that:
as an Anglican, this is what I wear to identify myself that I'm a clergyman. Do you know what Mugabe has done? He's taken people's identity and literally, if you don't mind [cuts up dog collar], cut it to pieces. This is what he's actually done, to a lot of—and in the end there's nothing. So as far as I'm concerned from now on I'm not going to wear a dog collar until Mugabe's gone.[43]
His protest followed criticism against Mugabe at the EU-Africa summit in Lisbon.
In December 2008, Sentamu again spoke out against Mugabe, saying "The time has come for Robert Mugabe to answer for his crimes against humanity, against his countrymen and women and for justice to be done".[44] On 26 November 2017, Sentamu returned to The Andrew Marr Show and kept his promise to reinstate his dog collar following Robert Mugabe's resignation earlier in the week. Marr presented him with an envelope containing the original cut up pieces of collar. Of it he said
You know, Andrew, I could attempt to put this one back together using superglue, but it would be a pretty ropey collar. And I actually think the lesson for Zimbabwe is the same. They just can't try and stitch it up. Something more radical, something new needs to happen.[45]
He then put on a new dog collar which he had brought with him. He also said it could be possible for Zimbabweans to forgive Mr Mugabe. "Mugabe needs to say at some point to Zimbabweans: 'Forgive me'. He's a very, very intelligent man and I think he is capable of doing it."
Financial crisis
In September 2008, Sentamu and the Archbishop of Canterbury,
Sexuality and marriage
Sentamu, born in Uganda, said
In 2016, speaking to Piers Morgan, Sentamu said that he would not call homosexuality a 'sin' and still supported civil unions while opposing same-sex marriage.[51] “I support civil partnerships because I think that’s a matter of equality, and a matter of fairness, but for me, it was wrong for the Government to try to redefine the nature of marriage" he said.[52] In 2017, Sentamu spoke out in favour of a motion at General Synod to call for the government to ban the use of conversion therapy, a controversial practice meant to change a person's sexual orientation.[53] At the same session of General Synod, Sentamu supported a motion to offer "welcome and affirmation" for transgender persons as members of the Church of England.[54]
Commenting on
In a speech to the House of Lords on 19 November 2007, he opposed elements of the
National Trust Egg Hunt
In 2017 he criticised the National Trust for "airbrushing out" religion from the National Trust Egg Hunt.[57]
Other activities
Columnist
Sentamu has contributed to
In September 2007, Sentamu wrote in his column that the parents of the missing
Public baptisms
On Easter Sunday 2008, Sentamu baptised 20 people by full immersion in a tank of water outside
Skydive for the Afghanistan Trust
On 6 June 2008, Sentamu completed a charity skydive from 12,500 feet with a member of the Red Devils parachute team. The dive took place over Langar Airfield in Nottinghamshire, with Sentamu aiming to raise £50,000 for the Afghanistan Trust. Yorkshire businessman Guy Brudenell had challenged Sentamu to do the jump at a charity dinner and Brudenell also took part in the jump on the day.[61] In recognition of what was described as his "pluck", Sentamu was later given honorary membership of the Parachute Regimental Association.[62]
Sentamu and Brudenell raised over £75,000.[63]
Hull Kingston Rovers
On 15 April 2011, Sentamu addressed the crowd at Craven Park before the Engage Super League Rugby league match between Hull Kingston Rovers and Wigan Warriors. He asked the crowd to join him in prayer extolling the virtues of teamwork and harmony in sport. Afterwards he was presented with a Hull KR shirt.[citation needed]
Safeguarding clergy disciplinary measure complaint and police investigation
In May 2016 Sentamu was one of six bishops accused of procedural misconduct by a survivor of
In April 2018 it was reported that Sentamu and four other bishops were under investigation by South Yorkshire Police for failure to respond properly to a report of clerical child abuse. A memo from June 2013, seen by The Times and other media revealed that Sentamu had received the allegation but recommended that 'no action' be taken. The priest against whom the allegation was made died by suicide the day before he was due in court in June 2017.[67][68][69] The Archbishop of York's office said:
The diocese of York insists that Sentamu did not fail to act on any disclosures because that responsibility lay with Ineson's local bishop, Steven Croft, who was at the time bishop of Sheffield.[70]
A It is not an acceptable human response, let alone a leadership response to say “I have heard about a problem, but … it was someone else’s job to report it”.[71]
Matt Ineson, the victim and survivor at the heart of the case, has called for the resignations of Archbishop Sentamu and Bishop Steven Croft.[72]
In 2023, Sentamu was asked to step down from his position as an assistant bishop in the Diocese of Newcastle after an independent review criticised his failure to act after being told of Ineson's claim of abuse.[73]
References
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