The Tyburn Lecture...

...at Tyburn Convent, near Marble Arch, was given this year by General Sir Mike Jackson, and very good it was, too. A straightforward, honest assessment of where things stand in the international situation from the perspective of one who has spent his life as a soldier. He noted two significant dates: the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the attack on the Twin Towers. The one marked the final end of the Cold War, the other the start of the al-Quaeda offensive.(He also noted, in passing, that the Twin Towers attack was 9/11, using the American system of putting the month first, and the fall of the Berlin Wall was actually also 9/11, using our system of putting the month second. An odd coincidence).

The Tyburn Lecture was launched by the Sisters a few years ago as a way of making a contribution to the national discourse by having a distinguished speaker address a topic of importance here, at this significant place. The convent marks, of course, the site of the old Tyburn gallows where over 100 heroic Catholic martyrs gave their lives...

After the lecture, a crowded and talkative gathering over refreshments downstairs. The dear Tyburn nuns are so welcoming and it's always a joy to be there...

And I had some news to pass on: Father K, the imprisoned priest for whom I have been begging for prayers, has been given leave to appeal. The good sisters will of course continue to pray fervently. Regular readers of this blog: PLEASE ADD YOUR PRAYERS TO THEIRS, for this priest who is serving a lengthy sentence for which he has been unjustly convicted.