Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said that his decision to step down was in the best interests of the Church.

Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury and spiritual head of the Anglican Communion, has stepped down following an investigation that concluded he failed to report serial physical and sexual abuse by a volunteer at Christian summer camps to authorities promptly upon learning of it.

Justin Welby’s predecessors have at times met gruesome fates — being stabbed or burned at the stake — but over 16 centuries the position itself has not only survived but retained its significance and power.