7 November 2012 Last updated at 23:24 ET

Justin Welby 'to be named as new Archbishop of Canterbury'

Bishop Welby became a bishop just last year

Bishop of Durham Justin Welby is due to be named as the next Archbishop of Canterbury, press reports claim.

It follows increasing speculation that the 56-year-old will replace Rowan Williams, who steps down in December after 10 years in the post.

He only became a bishop a year ago when he took up the fourth most senior post in the Church of England.

On Tuesday, leading bookmakers stopped taking bets on the succession after a run of bets on Bishop Welby.

The Daily Telegraph reports that Bishop Welby has agreed to accept the post. The Times says he will be named as the new Primate this week.

The Crown Nominations Commission - which nominates two candidates to the Prime Minister who advises the Queen on the appointment - held a three-day meeting in September to consider the contenders for the post, but no announcement followed.

Dr Williams's successor will become the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury, and the nominal leader of 77 million Anglicans worldwide - though conservative Anglican provinces, especially in Africa, have been setting up alternative organisational structures of their own.

Bishop Welby was educated at Eton and Cambridge University, and then spent 11 years in the oil industry before studying theology at Durham. He was ordained in 1992.

He became Bishop of Durham in November 2011, after serving as Dean of Liverpool since 2007.

Source : bbc[dot]co[dot]uk