Archbishop of Canterbury to resign after decade of tumult

From declining membership to splits over homosexuality and women’s leadership, Rowan Williams has seen the Anglican Communion through a decade of controversy.

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March 16, 2012

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams reads the Book of Common Prayer on the grounds of Lambeth Palace, London. Williams says he is stepping down at the end of the year, closing a tumultuous decade as leader of a global Anglican communion sharply divided on issues of sexuality and gender.

Rebecca Naden / AP

April 29, 2012

Kate Middleton and Britain's Prince William hold hands during their wedding service conducted at Westminster Abbey in London by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. The church's relationship to the royal family goes back to its split with the Catholic Church in 1534, when the Church of England separated from the Roman Catholic Church because of a dispute over King Henry VIII's marriage. The king or queen of England is known as the supreme governor of the Church of England.

Dave Thompson / AP

Feb. 23, 2012

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, right, and atheist scholar Richard Dawkins pose for a photograph outside Clarendon House at Oxford University, before their debate in the Sheldonian theatre in Oxford, central England. In the debate, titled "The Nature of Human Beings and the Question of Their Ultimate Origin," Williams defended the theistic view.

Andrew Winning / Reuters

Sept. 17, 2010

Pope Benedict XVI, right, greets Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams at Lambeth Palace in London.

Gregorio Borgia / AP

April 24, 2007

Nobel Peace laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu listens to Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian's translations during a meeting at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Taiwan. Tutu is known for his fight against South Africa's apartheid and his involvement with its subsequent reconciliation movement.

Wally Santana / AP

Nov 6, 2006

Episcopal Church of the United States Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori smiles after her investiture service at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, DC. Schori is the presiding bishop-elect for the Episcopal Church. As the first woman elected as a primate of the Anglican Communion, Schori's elevation in 2006 led to further division in the communion with dissent from conservative Anglicans who felt that her leadership was unbiblical.

Chip Somodevilla / GETTY IMAGES

Jan. 24, 2012

Bishop Gene Robinson poses for a portrait during the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. In 2003, Robinson became the first openly gay bishop in the Anglican Communion, further deeping the split between liberals and conservatives inside the church. After his election, a number of American breakaway conservative churches aligned themselves with Anglican churches outside the United States that are less accepting of homosexuality.

Larry Busacca / Getty Images

May 12, 2009

Bishops and archbishops from Latin America gather for Mass before a meeting by the Latin American Episcopal Council at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Managua, Nicaragua. The assembly brings together representatives from all countries in Latin America to discuss the pastoral and evangelizing work of the church in region.

Esteban Felix / AP

Nov. 12, 2011

The Rev. Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde is consecrated at the Washington National Cathedral as the ninth Episcopal bishop of Washington.

Nikki Kahn / The Washington Post

Aug. 23, 2011

A spire crumbled on the Washington National Cathedral as a 5.8-magnitude earthquake rumbled through Washington. The Episcopal Church, once known in the United States as the faith of the elite, was nominated for FEMA funds but withdrew its application.

Nikki Kahn / The Washington Post

Dec. 17, 2011

Retired Episcopal bishop George E. Packard inside Duarte Square beckons other protesters affiliated with the Occupy Wall Street movement to climb over a chain-link fence and join protesters inside the park in New York.

Andrew Burton / Reuters

Nov. 29, 2006

John Yates, rector of The Falls Church, front, sits with other church leaders in the church's historic chapel in Falls Church, Va. The Falls Church, one of two of the most prominent Episcopal parishes in Virginia, voted overwhelmingly in December 2006 to leave the Episcopal Church and join fellow Anglican conservatives forming a rival denomination.

Jacquelyn Martin / AP

Feb. 15, 2012

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II shakes hands with Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams as she arrives at Lambeth Palace to attend a Diamond Jubilee multi-faith reception in London. The queen recently said the Church of England is "occasionally misunderstood" and "commonly under-appreciated."

Adrian Dennis / AFP/Getty Images

Feb. 22, 2012

Students from Christ Episcopal School line up to receive ashes on their foreheads from the Rev. Howard Castleberry, front right, and the Rev. Wanda Cuniff at Christ Episcopal Church in Nacogdoches, Texas.

Andrew D. Brosig / AP

Jan. 8, 2012

Carrie the camel is led by Mike Smilie, of Texan Petting Zoo, as they head home upon the conclusion of an Epiphany celebration at St. Francis Episcopal Church in Houston. The Epiphany is a Christian holiday celebrating the visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus in Bethlehem.

Mayra Beltran / AP

March 10, 2012

Pope Benedict XVI walks with Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, right, to celebrate Vespers at Rome's San Gregorio al Celio Basilica.

Vincenzo Pinto / AP

FEATURED PHOTO GALLERIES

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 13: Many seminary graduates are choosing not to become pastors. Rebecca J. Cole received her Master of Divinity and is becoming a community organizer on Capitol Hill. She hugs another graduate after the ceremony. The 2013 Commencement ceremony for Wesley Theological Seminary was held on May 13 at the Washington National Cathedral. (Photo by Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)

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ARLINGTON, VA- MAY 17: Thousands of bike enthusiasts took to the streets Friday, May 17, 2013 in celebration of Bike to Work day. Bikers leave the Rosslyn Gateway Park pit stop on Friday morning. Commuter Connections and The Washington Area Bicyclist Association hosted cyclists at 70 pit stops across the metropolitan region. (Photo by Amanda Voisard/For the Washington Post)

Thousands participate in Bike to Work Day

More than 14,000 people registered for the area's annual celebration of commuting on two wheels.

epa03704474 A Muslim woman at the ThetKalPyin temporary relief camp near Sittwe in Rakhine State, Western Myanmar, 17 May 2013. A total of 13 people were confirmed dead in neighboring Bangladesh as people began to return home from shelters, a day after Cyclone Mahasen hit the coast, officials said 17 May. EPA/NYEIN CHAN NAING

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LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 16: American Idol Season 12 Winner Candice Glover (C) is seen onstage during Fox's 'American Idol 2013' Finale Results Show at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on May 16, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Candice Glover wins 12th season of ‘American Idol’

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US actress Claire Julien smiles on May 16, 2013 while posing during a photocall for the film 'The Bling Ring' at the 66th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes. Cannes, one of the world's top film festivals, opened on May 15 and will climax on May 26 with awards selected by a jury headed this year by Hollywood legend Steven Spielberg. AFP PHOTO / ALBERTO PIZZOLI (Photo credit should read ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images)

Eye on entertainment

Claire Julien, David Hasselhoff, Freida Pinto, Candice Glover, Martin Short and more.

**LOC IMAGE** Geo. Hamilton, Assistant Superintendent, Cambria Iron Mills house, Johnstown Flood, May 31st, 1889. (Photo by Ernest Walter Histed / Library of Congress)

The Johnstown Flood of 1889

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HACIPASA, TURKEY - MAY 5: Syrian refugee Hala ponders her life on the run on Sunday, May 5, 2013, in Hacipasa, Turkey. Three times this morning, the sounds of aircrafts were followed by explosions that shook the ground. Hacipasa, which sits just across the river border from Syria, is home of several hundred Syrian refugees who have been displaced by their home country's conflict. For a year, Hala and her family have been displaced from their home village in Syria because of violent conflict. After bouncing from village to village, fleeing bombings that seemed to follow them, the family crossed into Turkey six weeks ago. Initially, the family was deported back into Syria, where they lived in camps for internally displaced Syrians. But when the camps were bombed, the family was allowed to cross into Turkey. Hala said, 'The blood of the people who died in Syria, the martyrs, is our sad song, but nobody is listening.' (Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

Turkey faces a refugee crisis

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(FILES) In this file picture taken on January 31, 2013 British football player David Beckham poses presenting his new jersey after a press conference at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris. David Beckham is to retire from professional football at the end of the season, his representative announced on May 16, 2013. The 38-year-old midfielder has played for Manchester United, Real Madrid, Los Angeles Galaxy and AC Milan, as well as winning 115 caps for England, and recently won the French Ligue 1 championship with Paris Saint-Germain. AFP PHOTO / FRANCK FIFEFRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images

David Beckham announces his retirement

The 38-year-old British soccer superstar says he will retire when his French team’s season ends May 26.

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