BRITAIN: After a tempestuous decade as leader of the world's 70 million Anglicans, Dr George Carey is expected to announce his retirement as Archbishop of Canterbury soon - and the power struggle will begin to select a new Primate of the Church of England.
The BBC and the Daily Telegraph reported yesterday Dr Carey would announce today he will leave his post around the time of his birthday, after taking part in Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee celebrations during the summer.
Church officials have done little to dampen widespread British media speculation that Dr Carey will step down when he reaches 67 in November, three years ahead of his time. But with an announcement believed to be imminent, there has been a new flurry of interest in his likely successor.
Dr Carey, who was brought up on a working-class housing estate, steered the Church of England through difficult times. During his 11 years as archbishop, the number of regular worshippers dropped by nearly a quarter, the Church of England ordained its first women priests, grappled with the thorny issue of homosexuality and faced a dire financial crisis over its investments.
His successor as the 104th archbishop could face equally stormy tests over women bishops, proposals for union with the Methodists and a decision on whether the Church of England should agree to remarry divorcees.
The process of selecting his successor could last for months. The Crown Appointments Commission, the secretive body that nominates bishops, must draw up a shortlist of two names to present to the Prime Minister, Mr Blair, a practising Anglican widely believed to lean towards the Roman Catholicism of his wife Cherie - their children have been baptised Roman Catholics. Mr Blair will then give his choice to Queen Elizabeth to ratify.
Among the favourites is the Pakistan-born Bishop of Rochester, Dr Michael Nazir-Ali (52), who is an expert on Islam. Another leading contender is the Archbishop of Wales, Dr Rowan Williams (51), a renowned theologian and former professor of divinity at Oxford, although some of his views are seen as radical and could stand in his way. The traditionalist wing could be represented by the Bishop of London, Dr Richard Chartres.