Odds on Replacement

An Irish bookie, believing that the Archbishop of Canterbury’s days are now numbered because of his comments on Sharia Law, has opened betting on who William’s successor will be.

The Church Times web edition has the details of the betting so far:

“The 2/1 favourite is the Archbishop of York, Dr Sentamu. Among Dr Williams’s critics was the Bishop of Rochester, Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, who has been given an 8/1 chance of succeeding him. More highly favoured is the Bishop of London, the Rt Revd Richard Chartres, at 3/1, and the Bishop of Portsmouth, Dr Kenneth Stevenson, at 5/1.

The Bishop of Bath & Wells, the Rt Revd Peter Price, is at 6/1; the Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Revd James Jones, is at 13/2; and the Bishop of Durham, Dr Tom Wright, is at 8/1.

The remaining contenders include the Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, who has been given a 9/1 chance. The Bishop of Winchester, the Rt Revd Michael Scott-Joynt, is a 14/1 outsider; while the Bishop of Chester, Dr Peter Forster, is lagging behind at an unlikely 25/1.

More than 100 bets were placed with Paddy Power in the first 48 hours. ‘We expect it will heat up further if Williams gets more bad press,’ said Sharon McHugh, a spokeswoman for the bookmaker. ‘It’s a very interesting market to us, as the next Archbishop of Canterbury is appointed by Downing Street. This makes for interesting betting.’”

So, a new way to spark interest in the ongoing Anglican saga?

Read the rest here.

Past Posts
Categories