The BBC....

...contacted me to ask if I would talk about the revival of the no-meat-on-Friday rule. Delighted. In the event it turned out that there were so many people 'phoning in to talk about the previous subject on the programme - corporal punishment in schools, for which a majority of parents have apparently come out in favour! - that the discussion about Fridays was postponed for almost an hour. But then when it did take place we had a full and lengthy discussion, and it was in fact the first time in a great while that I've been on a radio programme where I could actually answer questions properly and get things across. The usual things came up: "But how can it be a penance to be sitting down to a delicious salmon instead of, say, a meat pie?" etc.It was good to be able to explore the whole subject, and we tackled all sorts of things - the significance of Friday and Christ's death on the Cross, the value of traditions, what penance is all about, why obedience to the Church has value, and more.

For various reasons, I was doing the interview standing in our small garden - Jamie was sorting out various bits of Army equipment in one room, the washing machine was blaring in the kitchen, and the gardenn was the only quiet place. Felt odd to be standing there next to the apple tree, with a neighbour watching from a nearby fire-escape, talking on the radio about Bishops and Fridays and fish pie...