It may be that it’s the half-overheard conversations which will help to explain this conference better than any press-release. On my way back to my room today, I heard one bishop say to another, “What do you think we’ve achieved?” I did not hear the reply. Then I saw two others hurrying to a meeting. They weren’t saying anything to each other. They looked too intense for mere conversation to interfere with their mission.

“I shall be glad to get home” seems to be the most common expression, but this is invariably followed by another comment, “For me, the Bible-Studies have been amazing. It was worth coming all this way just for those.” I agree, they have been a wonderful and formative part in helping to increase our understanding of each other and of God.

And actually, the desire to be at home is nothing to do with the conference itself but is because many delegates are feeling tired . The programme has been quite tightly packed.

Another over-heard conversation: “ I thought we were supposed to have some kind of Sabbath principle in our faith.” You needed to hear the tone of gentle affection in which it was said to realise that this was good natured banter about the programme rather than whingeing.

I bumped into a bishop I had not met before and asked him how long it would take him to get home. He replied that he would leave Heathrow on Monday , would have to change flights at least twice and would only complete his journey early on Thuraday once he had managed to get a ferry to his home. Even in an age of rapid journey- times the world remains a very big place.

So, what has been achieved? Remember that I am writing this with twenty four hours still to go. The Conference may be coming towards its end but it’s not over yet.

One of my conversations with an English bishop contained a delightful phrase: “I think,” he said, “there have been a series of small miracles in dozens of different places in this Conference.” He’s right. That has been my experience too. And what I am referring to are those moments when new insights have emerged which, without the Conference, could never have happened. Another said, “What I shall take away from this Conference is a much stronger sense of belonging to a global family. We have become friends.” And yet another cited the acts of worship as one of the high points of the Conference: “It was like being at prayer with the whole world.”, he said.

It would be entirely inaccurate to suggest that everything has been sweetness and light, though the overwhelming feeling has been one of great appreciation for all that has been learnt.It is true that changes of mind have taken place, but some bishops are very clear that where they stand has not been influenced by the Conference at all. And here’s the rub. Most are agreed that the Anglican Communion is a precious expression of the Christian faith and that for it to fragment would be a great loss. Most are also agreed that one of the charcteristic features of Anglicanism is the high value we put on the autonomy of each Province in the Communion. Nevertheless, the key question remains : “How do we hold together autonomy and interdependence?”. We hope that it can be done through the building of good relationships and through the creation of mutual understanding and sensitivity. But how can we handle disagreements when those pastoral and educational processes break down? There are not many people here, I guess, who want to see some kind of hard and fast Constitution created, to which every Province would have to subscribe and which would have tight legal boundaries. And I also suspect that few want to see the emergence of a loose-knit federation, but we continue to struggle with the problem of how we can put structures in place which will have sufficient power to resolve differences whilst at the same time respecting the autonomy of each Anglican Province.

Of course, this is not a problem that is peculiar to Anglicanism. Diplomats from every country in the world spend their lives trying to hold a delicate balance between autonomy and inter- dependence in the relationships between nation-states. Perhaps it is time to invite a few of them to help us to construct structures which will help us solve our particular problems.

I suppose the main achievements have been in the building of deep friendships, in the recognition and appreciation of diversity, especially in the Bible-study and Indaba groups. And perhaps a profound awareness that what binds us together is of far greater importance than what separates.

At breakfast this morning a young African woman said to me,”All families have their differences but they should never separate us. As a family we should look after each other.” It’s a simple truth but one to which we should commit ourselves in the years that lie ahead with patience, love and perserverance.