What happened
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the head of the Church of England and spiritual leader of 85 million Anglicans worldwide, resigned yesterday amid intense pressure over his handling of a notorious child abuser. A report released last Thursday said Welby "could and should" have told police about the decades of "brutal and horrific" physical and sexual abuse by John Smyth, a prominent lawyer and lay preacher who ran summer camps for young Christians.

Who said what
Welby, 68, said in a statement he was stepping down "in sorrow with all victims and survivors of abuse," and to demonstrate "how seriously the Church of England understands the need for change and our profound commitment to creating a safer church." Smyth was believed to have abused more than 100 boys and young men in England and then Africa, starting in the 1970s and likely continuing until his death in 2018.

Welby said he learned of Smyth's abuse in 2013, when he was appointed archbishop of Canterbury. If he had reported the abuse to the police then, some victims might have been spared and Smyth brought to justice, the new report said. Church leaders had been informed of Smyth's abuses in 1982, "and possibly earlier," the report said, and "participated in an active cover-up" to keep it secret.

What next?
It could take "many months" for Welby's successor to be appointed, The Washington Post said. The 106th archbishop of Canterbury will be formally nominated by King Charles III, "who takes advice from the prime minister, who takes advice from a Church of England commission." The process is "cloaked in mystery," the Times said. Welby had been expected to retire in 2026.

What happened
A federal judge in Baton Rouge yesterday blocked Louisiana from ordering all public schools and universities in the state to prominently display the Ten Commandments in every classroom. Louisiana in June became the first state to attempt such a requirement since 1980, when the Supreme Court struck down a similar Kentucky law, ruling it violated the First Amendment.

Who said what
U.S. District Judge John deGravelles agreed with a religiously mixed group of plaintiffs that Louisiana's law, set to take effect Jan. 1, was unconstitutional. The law is "coercive to students, and, for all practical purposes, they cannot opt out of viewing the Ten Commandments," he wrote. There were "any number of ways" the state could "advance an alleged interest in educating students about the Ten Commandments that would be less burdensome."

Louisiana leaders, including Gov. Jeff Landry (R), "defended the law, stating the displays can create teachable moments that show how the Ten Commandments played an important role in American history," The Wall Street Journal said. Plaintiff Darcy Roake, a Unitarian Universalist minister married to a Jewish man, said that "as an interfaith family, we expect our children to receive their secular education in public school and their religious education at home and within our faith communities, not from government officials."

What next?
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill (R) said the state would "immediately appeal" deGravelles's ruling. The law's supporters essentially "invited a lengthy legal fight," The New York Times said, and they "expect a friendlier reception" from the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, "considered to be one of the nation's most conservative courts." Some conservatives also "hope the Supreme Court's 6-3 conservative majority would uphold such laws," Reuters said.