Anglican archbishop stepping down

LONDON -- The Archbishop of Canterbury announced his retirement Tuesday as spiritual leader of the world's 70 million Anglicans.

The Most Rev. George Carey, 66, will retire Oct. 31 after a term marked by controversy over women priests, gay clergy and the church's mounting financial problems.

The Church of England is the "mother church" for the Anglican Communion, which groups autonomous churches in more than 160 countries -- including 2.5 million Episcopalians in the United States.

Carey is the 103rd Archbishop of Canterbury. He backed ordaining women, and under his leadership the church voted to allow it. However, he also declared homosexual relationships "incompatible" with the Bible and upheld the church's ban on the ordination of practicing homosexuals.

The process to select a successor is slow and deliberate. The Crown Appointments Commission, a 16-member body of bishops and church officials, will decide on two names to recommend to Prime Minister Tony Blair, whose choice will be ratified by the queen.

Meanwhile, British bookmakers William Hill took wagers on the successor, with 1,000-1 odds that the new Archbishop of Canterbury will be a woman, even though the church currently doesn't allow female bishops.