UPDATE 17.54pm: The Bishop Elect has been named as Richard Pain the Archdeacon of Monmouth

THE election of the new Bishop of Monmouth has begun.

A total of 47 members of the electoral college of the Church in Wales are currently nominating and voting on a confidential list of candidates at Newport Cathedral with the new bishop expected to be announced in the next couple of days.

A celebration of the Holy Eucharist took place at the cathedral this morning before the doors were locked for up to three days while the election takes place.

When a decision has been made, the Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, will unlock and open the west door of the cathedral and announce the name of the Bishop-elect from the doorstep.

The new bishop will be the tenth Bishop of Monmouth and will replace Dominic Walker, who served as Bishop of Monmouth for ten years until he retired at the end of June.

The electoral college is made up of representatives from all six Welsh dioceses. The home diocese is represented by six lay people and six clergy.

The other five dioceses are represented by three lay people and three clergy each. The five remaining bishops make up the rest of the electoral college.

Its discussions are confidential and any candidate receiving two-thirds of the votes of those present is declared Bishop-elect.

Otherwise, the college returns to the nomination stage and the cycle starts afresh.

If a decision is not reached within the three days, the decision is passed to the Bench of Bishops.

Once a bishop is elected, he will have up to 28 days to accept the position. If he accepts, the election will be formally confirmed by the Archbishop at a Sacred Synod service in September.

More than 300 worshippers including civic dignitaries filled the cathedral in June for then Bishop Dominic's final service.

At the time, he described his job as a "great privilege" and said he had "greatly enjoyed" his teaching role in the diocese.