Terry Waite (b.1939,) fully Terence Hardy Waite, is an English religious adviser and former hostage negotiator. He served as the special envoy to the Archbishop of Canterbury and became renowned for his efforts in securing the release of hostages during the 1980s. He was held captive by terrorists in Beirut 1987–91.
Born in Cheshire, Waite was educated at the Church Army College in London and privately in the United States. He was appointed lay training adviser to the Bishop of Bristol (1964–68) and the Archbishop of Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi (1968–71.) He also served as a consultant with the Roman Catholic Church (1972–79) and as adviser on Anglican Communion affairs to Robert Runcie, then Archbishop of Canterbury (1980–92.)
Renowned for his diplomatic skills, Waite undertook numerous overseas assignments. In 1987, while making inquiries in Beirut about European hostages, he disappeared. Worldwide efforts to secure his release, along with that of his fellow hostages, finally succeeded in 1991. He later published an account of his experiences in Taken on Trust (1993.)
His other works include Solitude: Memories, People, Places (2015,) Travels with a Primate (2001,) and Footfalls in Memory (1995.)
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Terry Waite
Freeing hostages is like putting up a stage set, which you do with the captors, agreeing on each piece as you slowly put it together; then you leave an exit through which both the captor and the captive can walk with sincerity and dignity.
—Terry Waite
Topics: Terrorism
The terrible thing about terrorism is that ultimately it destroys those who practise it. Slowly but surely, as they try to extinguish life in others, the light within them dies.
—Terry Waite
Topics: Terrorism
Leave a Reply