Doctor Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, praised father-of-three Beckham for "taking... fathering seriously".

The BBC television interview was to be aired on Father's Day in Britain, The Times newspaper reported Saturday.

Beckham's family have been with the Real Madrid midfielder as he tries to lead England to glory at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

The 31-year-old is father to sons Brooklyn, seven, Romeo, three, and one-year-old Cruz.

Church of England leader Williams said modern parents had never been less in control of their children and did not want to take time over things.

"We don't have very much patience with the idea that to be a human being you have got some growing to do and that needs patience, that needs a stable background, it just needs time," the 56-year-old said.

Williams, himself a father of two, said people nowadays underestimated what a difference having a child made.

"It not only upsets your sleep pattern, it upsets your sense of yourself, who you are, it really makes you a different person," he said.

Williams added that churches were good places to learn parenting skills.

Beckham, for his part, was once quoted as saying: "I definitely want Brooklyn to be christened, but I don't know into what religion yet."