Mediation is becoming widely used as an alternative means of resolving disputes that have hitherto been decided in court or by arbitration. Mediation typically involves the appointment of a third party neutral who works with the parties to explore with them how they can consensually resolve their dispute. Hallmarks of the process are (1) confidentiality, both in relation to communications between the mediator and each party and in relation to the judge or arbitrator who will hear the case if mediation is unsuccessful, and (2) the mediator's role as a facilitator of a negotiated agreement rather than an evaluator of the likely prospects of success of the parties.

A nuts-and-bolts Synod was how the Primus described the agenda in his opening remarks; and so it proved. A large amount of domestic housekeeping was dealt with.

This year's General Synod was held, for the first time ever, in Ireland's ecclesiastical capital, Armagh, at the recently constructed City Hotel and Conference Centre, which provided an excellent forum. The occasion was graced by the presence of the leaders of the other three main Churches in the province and by the preaching of the Archbishop of Canterbury at the Synod Eucharist in the recently renovated and refurbished Cathedral.

The 13th General Synod of the Anglican Church of Australia was held in Fremantle, Western Australia between 2 and 8 October 2004.

The Central European University in Budapest played host to a meeting of experts engaged in a continuing conversation on the subject of Islam in the European Union. The event was sponsored by Brigham Young University and convened by Professor Cole Durham, a leading expert in religious freedom particularly in relation to countries of the former Soviet Bloc. Contributors included Louis-Leons Christians and Rik Torfs (Louvain), Guy Haarscher (Brussels), Fikret Karcic (Sarajevo), Atanas Krusteff and Daniel Smilov (Sofia), Patrick Macklem (Toronto), Alain Garay (Pari Emmanuel Tawil (Lyons), Richard Puza (Tubingen), Stefan Messmann, Andras Sajo and Balas Schanda (Budapest), Tore Lindholm (Oslo), Zoila Solis (Zaragoza), Murat Ozsunay (Istanbul), and Mark Hill and Jon Heard (Cardiff).