Lambeth Palace has announced that the Most Rev Justin Welby will step down as Archbishop of Canterbury by 6th January, the Feast of Epiphany.
A statement published on Wednesday said the archbishop will be limiting his public appearances but he “plans to honour a small number of remaining commitments.”
At Epiphany, the Archbishop of York will take over his official responsibilities.
Archbishop Justin announced his intended resignation last week, after a review found he failed to properly report cases of abuse by the late barrister John Smyth to the police in 2013.
The exact date of Archbishop Justin’s formal resignation will be confirmed with the Privy Council.
