Race is generally a sensitive topic on the Island, but according to John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York in Bermuda to celebrate the church's 400th anniversary we are all equals in the eyes of God.

In a wide-ranging interview with media yesterday, Dr. Sentamu the first black Archbishop of York and the second most senior cleric in the Church of England, talked about his views on race and homosexuality.

Dr. Sentamu said: "I know for sure where there has been a history of where everybody was not being treated like a child of God, that it leaves a legacy. Where if you do not face it, it festers. Racism is like somebody being in a room who has smoked. There may be no more smoking but you go in there and in the curtains, in the carpet it is there. So make sure the place is cleansed out and it doesn't actually give off."

Dr. Sentamu suggests that every individual ask themselves 'Do I have processes, attitudes, behaviours that unwittingly may be discriminating?'. If so, they should face those honestly and then make steps towards changing them.

The Archbishop will be hosting a men's breakfast this morning at 8 a.m. at St. John's Sunday school hall. Tomorrow at 10 a.m. he will be preaching at a 400th Anniversary service at the Cathedral in Hamilton, and then at an 'open air service' at 4 p.m. at the Arboretum.

Born in Uganda, Dr. Sentamu suffered under dictator Idi Amin and admits the experience strengthened his belief in God.

He said it taught him that his "body may be killed, but the real me Sentamu has been so united with God that whatever you do to me will not make a difference."

Throughout his time in clergy, he has unselfishly put himself on the front line in the fight for justice. He cut his collar in 2007 in protest of Zimbabwe dictator Robert Mugabe; and refuses to put it on until the dictator is removed from power.

"What Mugabe has done is taken up the culture, the tradition, the history of Zimbabwe and cut it into pieces and destroyed people's identities," he said. "So I say, 'you know I am going to cut up my identity to show everyone else'."

Dr. Sentamu wore a hoodie to church to encourage people not to judge youth and also parachuted from 14,000 feet to raise money for widows of soldiers killed in Afghanistan.

In yesterday's meeting with media, Dr. Sentamu spoke about other hard hitting issues, such as homosexuals in the church.

He said: "The position in the Anglican community is very clear, both in the statement in 1999 that said sex should be between a man and a woman for life, that is God's ideal.

"Then it went on to say, but the church must make space for homosexual people within its life, within its community.

"[The statement] went on to say there must be a listening process, but unfortunately that listening process hasn't happened."

According to Mr. Sentamu all decisions, not just homosexuality, need to be made and abided by everyone in the religious community, otherwise there will be problems.

He said: "I think the difficulty there, although homosexuality is the presenting issue, really fundamentally what is the question is in matters of doctrine and practice when you belong to a family you cannot make a decision on your own behalf.

"It has got to have the consent and agreement of the rest otherwise each one does what seems right in their own eyes."

He says it is possible for two tiers of Anglicanism to emerge over the issue.

But added "We haven't yet signed the covenant, the covenant is trying to say what is the basis of us trying to reside as a community."

Dr. Sentamu is joined on the Island by wife Margaret, a race relations activist.