The Bishop of Parramatta, Anthony Fisher, is firming as the favourite to replace Cardinal George Pell as the new Archbishop of Sydney.
The vacancy has arisen after Cardinal Pell's elevation to "budget supremo" at the Vatican from March.
Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge was rated a strong contender but said he wouldn't be putting his name forward and that he wanted to continue in his current role until retirement.
To find Cardinal Pell's successor, local consultations will be undertaken before three dossiers with information on candidates are presented to the congregation for bishops in the Vatican.
Bishop Fisher was born in Sydney in 1960 and joined the Dominican order in 1985.
In 2003 Fisher was appointed an auxiliary bishop of Sydney. Pope Benedict XVI appointed him the third Bishop of Parramatta in January 2010.
Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference general secretary Father Brian Lucas wouldn't be drawn on who church insiders favoured.
"People involved in the appointment of bishops have an old saying: those who talk don't know and those who know don't talk," he told AAP.
"Speculation is a bit fraught."
