The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, stepped down after facing mounting pressure to quit over handling of the abuse scandal in the church.
Welby said that he failed to ensure a proper investigation into the allegations of abuse by a volunteer at Christian summer camps decades ago.
In his resignation letter, Welby said he must take "personal and institutional responsibility" for lack of action on the "heinous abuses".
"The last few days have renewed my long-felt and profound sense of shame at the historic safeguarding failures of the Church of England," Welby said.
"I hope this decision makes clear how seriously the Church of England understands the need for change and our profound commitment to creating a safer church. As I step down I do so in sorrow with all victims and survivors of abuse."
Reacting to Welby’s resignation, Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, the Church's second-ranking cleric, said it was "the right and honourable thing to do".
His resignation comes days after the independent Makin Report criticised him for his handling of abuse allegations dating back to the 1970s. The published report said John Smyth, a British lawyer, had subjected more than 100 boys and young men to "brutal and horrific" physical and sexual abuse over a 40-year period.
Smyth was also the chair of the Iwerne Trust which funded the Christian camps in Dorset in England. Before being ordained as a priest, Welby worked with the Trust as a dormitory officer.
The report also added that Smyth moved to Africa in 1984 and continued the abuse till his death in 2018. The Church of England knew at the highest level about these sexual abuse claims at the camps in 2013.
The report clearly said that Welby knew about the abuse and about the accusations after he became archbishop. He was criticised for not handling the situation appropriately.
As Welby steps down, Graham Usher, the Bishop of Norwich, and Guli
Francis-Dehqani, the Bishop of Chelmsford have been tipped to succeed him. The procedures for the appointment of a new archbishop of Canterbury require a body of clerics and a chair, nominated by the British prime minister, to put two names forward to him.
Usher is considered the one in favour of gay rights and has been outspoken on the need to tackle climate change. While, Francis-Dehqani, was born in Iran, and has spoken about how her brother was murdered in the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution. If she succeeds, then she would be the first woman to occupy the post.