HE was always a reluctant Archbishop. Dr David Hope never sought high office within the Church but when his talent demanded his promotion, he accepted it as God's will.

This unassuming manner has endeared him to people within and without the Church.

Dr Hope's departure from the post of Archbishop of York is typical. Two years ago he told the Evening Press that he was minded to leave the job when he was 65 in 2005, adding that he would like to return to work as a parish priest.

True to his word, he will leave York to become vicar of St Margaret's Church, Ilkley, next year. The Archbishop could have opted for ermine-lined gentility in the House of Lords. Instead, he has chosen a harder, humbler but possibly more rewarding option: going back to the Church's "shop floor".

It is an unprecedented and remarkable step. Many people in the higher echelons of British public life would do well to reflect on Dr Hope's example.

The Archbishop's natural self-effacement does not mean he has shirked from controversy. He clashed with our Christian Prime Minister more than once, most notably supporting rural residents in the See of York by urging that the General Election be delayed during the foot and mouth crisis.

It was.

Locally, he was known to be very concerned by the decisions to close the Minster Library and impose charges to enter the cathedral. He hammered out a compromise which saw the library saved and York residents exempted from admission fees.

Dr Hope opened the grounds of Bishopthorpe Palace for many community events. He has been a breath of fresh air. York and the Church hierarchy will miss David Ebor.

Updated: 11:35 Monday, August 02, 2004