Bishop Ewan Ratteray attended the inauguration of Ugandan born John Sentamu, who became Britain?s first black archbishop on Wednesday.

Archbishop Sentamu was inaugurated as the 97th Archbishop of York, which is the second highest position in the Church of England.

Bishop Ratteray described the ceremony as ?exuberant and joyous?. He travelled to the UK specifically for the inauguration and said he would not have missed it for the world.

Though he did not get to meet the Archbishop during his brief stay he has known him for nearly ten years. The Archbishop has actually spent time in Bermuda, he came to St. Mary?s in Warwick for a mission a few years ago.

Three-and-a-half thousand people attended the inauguration of Archbishop Sentamu, who has a long history of speaking up for minorities.

Before immigrating the the UK he was a judge in Uganda?s High Court until he criticised the Government for its human rights violations in 1974.

The BBC reported that after being arrested for criticising the Government he left Uganda for the UK and began studying theology at Cambridge. He spent 14 years as a priest in inner city London parishes.

He was also a member of the Archbishop?s Commission for Urban Priority Areas from 1986 to 1992. The commission compiled a report on the large number of British urban people who were disadvantaged and felt excluded from the economic boom that many others were benefiting from. The Archbishop was also a part of Chairman of the Committee for Minority Ethnic Anglican Concerns from 1990-1999. The committee aims to encourage black and minority Anglicans to participate in the church at every level.

Bishop Ratteray said that when he left the ceremony he got a ?spillover effect? from the inauguration.

?I was stopped in the street and people were very interested in me, not because of me but because of him,? he said. ?It made for interesting interactions and it made it me feel very good because he is being well received by the people in that Ministry.? The BBC reported that the Archbishop has often attacked the Church of England for being institutionally racist.

Bishop Ratteray said the appointment of Archbishop Sentamu is positive for the Church of England.

?It certainly is significant because he is a minority person who has achieved a high standing position,? the Bishop said. ?He is certainly not a token, he is there on merit and is highly articulate and educated. He is also very passionate about the gospel.?

He also holds what some might deem progressive stances on divisive issues in the church, he would ordain female ministers and has spoken out about the negative way other members of the Church have spoken about gay people.

The Archbishop appeared on BBC?s programme ?Hardtalk? this week to discuss a number of controversial issues the Church of England will have to face in the future. Throughout the programme he maintained his position on women becoming Bishops and would not state his personal opinion on homosexuality. Moreover, he stood behind his statements that England should not have gone to war in Iraq.

When asked to describe the Archbishop, Bishop Ratteray said: ?He?s not afraid to speak his mind and he believes in justice and truth and he fights tooth and nail for it.?