ONE of the Church of England's leading figures in inter-faith relations will preach at a York church tomorrow.

The Bishop of Rochester, the Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, will lead the 9.30am service at St Luke's Church, in Burton Stone Lane.

Bishop Nazir-Ali, who was widely regarded as a possible candidate to be Archbishop of Canterbury prior to the appointment of Dr Rowan Williams, is in York for the summer session of the Church of England's General Synod.

Born in Pakistan in 1949, Michael Nazir-Ali became Bishop of Raiwind in 1984 before moving to the UK as assistant to the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Robert Runcie, in 1986.

He was general secretary of the Church Mission Society from 1989 to 1994, and also held a number of academic appointments before becoming Bishop of Rochester, Kent, in 1994.

Lynn Comer, parish reader at St Luke's, said: "Bishop Michael's visit is a great opportunity to hear the wisdom of someone whose faith has been shaped by different places and cultures. I'm sure he'll be glad to add a bit of Yorkshire to the mix!"

All are welcome at the service.

Updated: 13:03 Saturday, July 12, 2003