Rowan Williams to be named as Archbishop

Rowan Williams is expected to be named today as the next Archbishop of Canterbury. Dr Williams, 52, who is currently the Archbishop of Wales, was selected by Tony Blair from a list of two names supplied by a church commission set up to find a successor to Dr George Carey.

The deliberations of the panel took place in secret but the status as favourite of Dr Williams, who became Oxford University's youngest professor at the age of 36, had become widely known.

The new head of the Anglican communion is unlikely to shrink from controversy. A serialisation of his latest book, starting today in The Times, attacks the corruption and sexualisation of children.

Dr Williams singles out the Disney Corporation as an example of the ability of consumerism to intrude into children's lives through merchandising. He also shows his readiness to challenge politicians by criticising school league tables for giving the best schools a monopoly on resources and locking worse performing rivals into a "spiral of failure".

The choice of Dr Williams, who has two children, was made from a list of some of the Church of England's leading lights, including Richard Chartres, the Bishop of London, and Michael Nazir Ali, the Bishop of Rochester.

Anglicans are optimistic that Dr Williams, who is known for his nuanced interpretation of issues such as women priests and gay rights, will put the church back in the front line of public debate. He recently said that he ordained a man knowing he was a homosexual.