Head of Catholic Church is named
The Archbishop of Birmingham was today being named as the new Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster.
The Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, aged 63, is set to succeed Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor next month following his retirement as leader of Catholics in England and Wales.
The announcement comes after weeks of speculation about a successor to the cardinal, who is the first Archbishop of Westminster to retire in post since the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy in the mid-19th century.
So far all 10 Archbishops of Westminster have been made a cardinal by the Vatican and the archbishop is likely to become president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales.
Archbishop Nichols has been a leading figure in recent years, fighting a number of battles on issues such as Catholic education and adoption agencies.
