Archbishop of Canterbury to step down Rowan Williams was elected as the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury in July 2002 Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, is stepping down after 10 years as the principal leader of the Church of England and the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Dr Williams, famous for his outspoken views on everything from the war in Iraq to the government's Big Society policy, will take up a new post as Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge at the start of 2013. He will continue in his role as Archbishop until the end of this year. "It has been an immense privilege to serve as Archbishop of Canterbury over the past decade, and moving on has not been an easy decision," he said in a statement. Lambeth Palace said the Queen, who is the supreme governor of the Church of England, had been informed. A successor has not yet been appointed but the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, could be a candidate, which would make him the first black Archbishop of Canterbury. Dr Williams has not been afraid to criticise senior politicians arguing that "nobody voted for" the policies of the Conservative-led coalition government. He was elected as the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury in July 2002, after serving as the Archbishop of Wales. He is a theological scholar and teacher and has worked at both Oxford and Cambridge.