Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the spiritual leader of Anglicans worldwide, resigned "in sorrow" on Tuesday, saying he had failed to ensure a proper investigation into allegations of abuse by a volunteer at Christian summer camps decades ago.
Welby, also the most senior cleric of the Church of England, had faced calls to resign after a report last week found he had taken insufficient action to stop one of the Church's most prolific serial abusers.
Church commentators and historians said it was the first time an Anglican archbishop had resigned over an abuse scandal.
A spokesman for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he respected the archbishop's decision to resign.