Travels With a Primate Book

It always seemed incongruous that the witty and urbane Archbishop Runcie should be travelling around the world with a person who looked a big, sincere missionary complete with woolly jumpers, beard and big feet. In his first book, Taken on Trust, Terry Waite communicated the complex, compassionate and intelligent man beneath the anorak. In Travels with a Primate he reminisces on the seven years of his travels with Runcie as the Archbishop's Advisor on Anglican Communion Affairs. Waite recounts various adventures as he, Runcie and a few staff members travel all over the world from Alaska to Africa and from Australia to America. As they meet ordinary people, heads of state and celebrities Waite always brings out the humorous and therefore human touch. Woven into the anecdotes are interesting snippets of history about the Archbishops of Canterbury, Lambeth Palace and the complex organism called the Anglican Communion. Anglicans are better than most religious people at laughing at themselves; and without preaching, Terry Waite manages to communicate quiet trust in a God who is in charge despite the sometimes tumultuous and chaotic activities of mankind. If the book has a weakness it is the sense that Waite is not totally at home in his genre. His stories are interesting and fun, but often the humour is a bit laboured resulting in more smiles than laughs. Nevertheless, Travels with a Primate is a good, relaxing read and manages to educate and inspire without failing to entertain. --Dwight Longenecker Read More