Today was the final day of the bishops’ retreat. I listened in on the final address of Archbishop Rowan Williams. It was brilliant, and I hope they are all published soon. The whole Communion would benefit from his sage words. Every bishop that I have spoken with has had some level of transformation in the retreat experience.

On to more mundane matters. I reported on the food yesterday. Today I sampled the fare in one of the bishops’ dining rooms. I hope there are no bishops here reading my blog, because I’m glad to report that the staff dining room surpasses the bishops’ dining room in almost every way. For one thing, people bring us our food over in the staff room. No cumbersome trays, etc. The staff room is smaller, and a bit quieter. The one big advantage of the bishops’ dining room is the view. There’s a stunning view of the Cathedral through massive floor-to-ceiling windows. But if I want that, I’ll go outside. So it looks like I’ll be sticking with the staff room as much as possible. (Though I still want to try out the stewards’ room.)

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Sure, he seems nice enough. Who would find reason to mistrust a cartoonist? But regular readers here know that something may be amiss. Over in another blog posting, a commenter tipped me off to a disturbing situation. You can see a photo of it over on the right. That’s Dave Walker’s tent in the background. Then, just in front of that is the stage (for whatever purpose Dave intends to use it). Finally, in the close foreground, you’ll see the feathery remains of some kind of bird. How did this bird meet its demise? Can it be a coincidence that the observed only bird death so far at the Lambeth Conference is right next to Dave Walker’s area?

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I got to speak with The Archbishop of York, John Sentamu. If you’re really fancy, you call him John Ebor. Anyway, I was inspired by my conversation with him. He’s the bishop who cut up his collar on live television, and he won’t wear a collar until Mugabe is gone from Zimbabe. He’s the bishop who slept in a York Minster chapel to bring awareness to world poverty. He has baptized people outdoors and he just jumped out of airplanes.

You might wonder if someone who has done these things has an ego problem. It certainly didn’t seem that way to me. He seemed like someone who wants to bring attention not to himself, but to God and to the church. He wants the church to be in the newspaper for good reasons, not for petty squabbles. He wants us all to be passionate followers of Jesus Christ.

His laugh, his smile, and his humor are contagious. He’s articulate without being preachy. Yes, I was impressed. We desparately need more bishops like him, and fewer of the kind who are always calculating and maneuvering.

You’ll notice he is not wearing a clerical collar in this photo.

Go visit this page. It was everything you ever wanted to know — and current info galore — about the Lambeth Conference, all on one web page.

Wow, this is really nifty. I like many things about this page: the array of perspectives, the general look of it, the handy clock, and much more. I like how the top of the page has prayer and humor. I only wish 7WD appeared on the page. Can’t win ‘em all, I guess.

Thanks, Lydia, for creating this and for making it available to us all.

I thought I was done with the whole Dave Walker saga. My plan was to turn the 7WDBI (that’s Seven Whole Days Bureau of Investigation) on to a new story. There surely must be another story to investigate or another media error to correct. But it seems that the Dave Walker story won’t end. Watch this space for an update tomorrow, time permitting. You will want to flock to this blog to learn the shocking truth.

Today I think my photographic colleagues got some outstanding shots, especially the photography of the bishops’ retreat. I was around for evensong, so I have a couple of those to post here. Go check out the whole set from today. Here are my three offerings from today.

+Rowan Williams at the entrace of the choir for evensong. ACNS/Gunn

+Rowan Williams prays the Lord's Prayer during evensong. ACNS/Gunn

Spouses, staff, and stewards have lunch with a view of Canterbury Cathedral. ACNS/Gunn

This was probably the easiest day of the conference for many people. The bishops were on retreat all day. The spouses had programs in the morning, but then they had the afternoon off. Everyone had the evening off. After today, things really pick up. Another photographer arrived, which means there will be four of us. That’s a Good Thing, because on this “easiest day” I worked well over 14 hours. It’s all good though.

I popped into Canterbury Cathedral for part of the retreat to get a few photos. It was amazing to be in the space, closed to tourists, with such a focus on holiness. During a break, I wandered through the building, able to enjoy its majesty without the usual hordes of people. Bishops were walking around staring at the vaulted ceiling, in awe of this ancient and hallowed building. The shrine of St. Thomas is breathtaking. So much history, and so much faith, in this place.

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When everyone starts to talk about it, remember that you heard it here first. 7WD is your exclusive source for all the news that mainstream media won’t report. Yesterday I broke the story of the stage next to Dave Walker’s tent. As you may know, he is the Cartoonist in Residence for the Lambeth Conference. Why does he need a stage? At first, I thought the “cartoonist” title might be a cover or a ruse, but I see he has produced his first drawing. So that seems legit.

Anyway, there is that mysterious stage right next to his tent. Given his failure to report its existence, and then his subsequent non-denial, I have assumed that he is part of a vast artistic conspiracy. My suspicions have turned out to be correct. Last night, I camped out near the stage. In the wee hours of the night, I got this image:

It looks like some blurry figure. Could it be a ghost? After some further processing, you can see what’s really happening on the stage.This was not Photoshop. This was the kind of processing they use on television police shows, like on CSI:NY when they have a blurry CCTV image that becomes crystal clear with one mouse click. I downloaded that software and used it. One mouse click later and I could see the shocking truth.

You won’t believe your eyes!

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A number of reporters here seem upset. One of their main sources of ire is the security fence around the “Big Top” where the plenary sessions are held. Some press have reported this to be a “10 foot chain link” fence. I guess that sounds more menacing than “security fence.” To set the record straight, I crept out under the cover of darkness to get my photo taken next to said fence. No Photoshop was involved. I am not ten feet tall, though I am about 6′ 6″ tall. So there I am, standing next to the “10 foot” fence. As you see, it’s not even close to the alleged ten feet.

It’s a small thing, but 7WD is here to correct mainstream media when it errs. Those 42 inches of exaggeration are important. Suppose I said that the Anglican Communion has 80 provinces or that the current Pope is Benedict LVIII or that the staff of 7WD consists of 43 people. No one would stand for me just adding 42 to something in order to make a point (even if 42 is the answer to life, the universe, and everything). So let’s get the fence measurements right. It’s two meters (about). Less menacing, but more accurate.

There are other important news developments to report…

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Here are three sample pictures from today. Go check out many more photos if these interest you.

The day began with a celebration of the Eucharist. ACNS/Gunn

A bishop with one of the younger attendees. ACNS/Gunn

A bishop gets the perfect photo during a break from the retreat. ACNS/Gunn

My morning began with a celebration of the Eucharist at 7:15 a.m. And when I say celebration, I mean celebration. Again, the singing was glorious — drawing on music from a wide range of traditions and cultures. There’s a special hymnal for the Lambeth Conference, and I wish it would be available after the Conference. Lots of good stuff there. There was no sermon, but frankly there’s plenty of talking throughout the Conference, so I doubt if anyone missed it much.

My day consisted largely of wandering around on a few photo assignments. You can see some of the fruits of my efforts (and the efforts of the other two photographers) on the Lambeth flickr set. I’ll add a few pics in the next post. I had some time to chat briefly with a number of bishops. I think I spoke with bishops from the US, Canada, England, Mexico, Malaysia, India, South Africa, Brazil, Taiwan, and a few more places I can’t quite remember. You get the idea. Everyone seems relaxed and amiable.

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Yesterday I wrote about Dave Walker’s tent here at the Lambeth Conference. As you may recall, he is serving as (I am not making this up) “Cartoonist in residence.” That’s surely a good thing. He has put a picture of his tent up over on his blog. His photo conveniently does not show something else very well.

What is that stage to the left of his tent? I think Dave is about to become “Dancer and singer in residence” also. I can think of no other plausible explanation for this stage so close to his tent. I met him in person today, and he did not mention this stage. That lack of a denial is just as good as an admission, as far as bloggers are concerns. While I had said I wasn’t going to post news here, this is a big story. I’ll be following it closely. If the official cartoonist becomes a dancer OR a singer, watch for the breaking news exclusively here in 7WD.