THE new Archbishop of York, Ugandan-born John Sentamu, has revealed he is the victim of racial hate mail.

Only days after Dr Sentamu was formally confirmed as York's Archbishop, the second most powerful man in the Church of England told a Sunday newspaper he had received letters daubed with swastikas and containing excrement.

Dr Sentamu said: "I have been victim of all sorts of things," he said in an interview at Lambeth Palace.

"I have had a lot of terrible racist hate mail even since my appointment as archbishop."

He admitted he sometimes stared at people and wondered if it was they who were "writing these terrible, terrible letters.

"But I wake up every morning and I am breathing and I say, 'It's a good day; it's going to be okay'."

In August the Evening Press reported how the former Archdeacon of York, the Venerable George Austin, said Dr John Sentamu was "the best man for the job" because he could tackle discrimination in the Church of England.

Mr Austin, who has fiercely opposed the ordination of women and has condemned the church for taking too liberal a line on homosexuality, told the Evening Press: "Dr Sentamu brings to the job something which nobody else can - he has been on the receiving end of racism and because of that he knows what he is talking about.

"Fifty years ago a black archbishop would have been unthinkable, but the church has become very much more multicultural since then.

However, it can still be institutionally discriminatory, not just of race, but of class or theological belief.

"Nevertheless, the fact is that we have now got a black archbishop, and from his background he is bound to see racism as a big, important issue that must be dealt with."

Dr Sentamu was confirmed as Archbishop of York on Wednesday and will be sworn in at a special ceremony at York Minster next month.

Updated: 09:54 Monday, October 10, 2005