THE Church of England could see its first black Archbishop of Canterbury following the departure of Rowan Williams from the post.

John Sentamu, 62, the Archbishop of York, is widely viewed as front-runner to replace Rowan Williams when he leaves at the end of this year.

Dr Sentamu, the sixth of 13 brothers and sisters, and a former barrister and judge, came to the UK in 1974 having fled Uganda where he was a critic of the dictator Idi Amin.

Dubbed by some as "cleric of the people", he is known for his high-profile interventions.

In 2007 he cut up his dog collar on live television in a dramatic protest against Robert Mugabe's rule, vowing never to wear the symbol of his office again until the Zimbabwe president had been removed from power.

Dr Sentamu also once pitched a tent and camped in York Minster for a week, foregoing food, in solidarity with those who had suffered in the Middle East conflict.

The Archbishop has gained a reputation for supporting the armed forces - sky-diving to raise money for families of servicemen wounded or killed in Afghanistan - and for speaking out against bankers and traders responsible for the financial crisis.

He has called for the English to mark St George's Day properly on April 23, warning that the failure of England to rediscover its culture would lead only to greater political extremism.

Dr Sentamu's enthronement in 2005 featured a ceremony with African singing and dancing and contemporary music, with Dr Sentamu playing African drums during the service.

Such is his popularity in his archdiocese of York that he was named Yorkshire Man of the Year in 2007.

As Bishop of Stepney in east London, Dr Sentamu acted as an adviser to the inquiry into the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence. He has also campaigned against guns, knives, drugs and gangs.

More recently, he attracted controversy - and racist emails - when he spoke out against gay marriage. Dr Sentamu is married with two grown-up children and two grown-up foster children.

Explaining his reasons for stepping down, Dr Williams said: "At the end of this year I will have been ten years in post as Archbishop and just over 20 years as a bishop - that is part of it, feeling that after ten years it is proper to pray and reflect and review your options."

He added that there were a number of watersheds this year, such as the forthcoming vote by the General Synod, the National Assembly of the Church of England, on whether to give final approval to legislation introducing women bishops.

"A number of what I call watersheds seemed to make this a reasonable moment, at least, to think about moving on," he said.

"When a possibility arrived that looked credible and attractive, it seemed right to think about it."

He added that the next Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops from around the world is in 2018.

Leaving at the end of the year would give his successor time to prepare.

He denied that there was a great sense of free at last in view of the long-running battles between liberals and traditionalists over the issue of gays within the Anglican Communion.

"Crisis management is never a favourite activity, I have to admit, but it is not as if that has overshadowed everything.

"It has certainly been a major nuisance.

"But in every job that you are in there are controversies and conflicts and this one isn't going to go away in a hurry.

"I can't say that it is a great sense of free at last."

Other possible contenders to replace Dr Williams include Richard Chartres, the Bishop of London.

Dr Chartres, 64, who is close to members of the Royal Family, gave the address at the marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge last year and is known for campaigning on environmental issues.

Liverpool-born the Rt Rev Nick Baines, 54, Bishop of Bradford, is also viewed as a contender for the post.

Highly educated and articulate, he is known as the blogging bishop, in recognition of his enthusiastic approach to using new media.

The Rt Rev Tim Stevens, 65, Bishop of Leicester, who leads the Church of England bishops in the House of Lords, and has recently clashed with the Government over the proposed benefits cap, could also be a possible contender.