Who's likely to be the next Archbishop of Canterbury

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A.� At the start of the race when Dr George Carey announced his forthcoming retirement, the answer would certainly have been: the Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, Bishop of Rochester. Not any more. The man with his name in the frame is now Most Rev Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Wales.< xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

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Q.� Biography

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Q.� So what makes him the favourite

A.� For a start, he's getting a lot of support in the heavy press. One influential writer said: 'Gentle, authoritative and highly intelligent, the Archbishop of Wales, the Most Rev Rowan Williams, seemed to emanate holiness.'

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Q.� But there must be more than just what the press says

A. Of course. Williams is emerging as the man who can take the Church forward without offending too many people. Bishop Nazir-Ali, a favourite among the evangelist group within the church, has been seen as too pushy and too remote for the job.

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Another possible candidate, the Rt Rev Richard Chartres, Bishop of London, is the traditionalists' favourite. He is a respected theologian with a voice of authority. But he opposes the ordination of women as priests.

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Q.� Who decides on the next archbishop

A.� The Crown Appointments Commission, chaired by Dame Elisabeth Butler-Sloss. They will, of course, be guided by the Holy Spirit. The commission will put forward two names to Prime Minister Tony Blair in the autumn. He then decides.

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Q.� Let's hear a bit more about this favourite, then

A.� Williams is certainly not a clean-cut trency. He has shaggy hair and a beard. His favourite outfit appears to be a V-neck jumper over his clerical collar. But he's humble, holy, liberal, clever and inspirational.

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The Very Rev Alan Webster, former Dean of St Paul's, said: 'The Church of England needs someone who is an imaginative scholar, rather in the way that after Geoffrey Fisher, [Prime Minister Harold] Macmillan wisely saw that the Church needed a change and chose Michael Ramsey. Rowan Williams fits that bill. He thinks very creatively and he'd be an inspiring spiritual leader.'

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The Rt Rev Michael Ball, former Bishop of Truro, said: 'We desperately need somebody who is there to challenge without being aggressive or annoying, someone who can make profound statements off the cuff because he has a store of wisdom. We also need someone to make the state holy. It should be Rowan Williams, without a doubt.'

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Q.� So much for his inspirational skills ... what about his holiness

A.� On his second night at Cambridge, he got into a long conversation with a vagrant. Two hours later, he decided to devote much of his time at university to helping the homeless.

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Q.� And his liberal views

A.� Williams sees no theological reason to disqualify practising homosexuals from office. However, he describes himself as 'ultra-conservative' on issues such as the Virgin Birth and the Resurrection and opposes abortion. He also loves baroque music and the Book of Common Prayer - hardly the hobbies of a trendy cleric.

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Here lies a reason he might not get the job, though. He is far too clever to be a yes-man and Tony Blair is unlikely to want a constant stream of criticism from Canterbury.

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Q.� Anything about Williams the man

A.� Yes. He likes watching The Simpsons and Father Ted on television. He says The Simpsons is 'one of the most subtle pieces of propaganda around in the cause of sense, humility and virtue'. And as for Father Ted ... he thoroughly approves of the zany priests.

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Steve Cunningham