On a rainy Tuesday afternoon in November, a single social-media post sent shock waves through the Church of England and the Anglican Communion. It was a photograph of a letter printed on official stationery and placed on a polished wooden surface. In its few brief lines, Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, announced his unprecedented decision to resign.
Over the centuries, archbishops of Canterbury have been excommunicated, murdered, executed, or occasionally canonized. These days, they tend to retire at around seventy and head to the House of Lords. That may not happen this time.
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