London is uncomfortable...

...in this heat. It's enjoyable riding about by bike, horrid in the trains trundling stickily out to the suburbs. I take cool wet-wipes, and plenty of reading material

Issues in the Catholic press: it's clear that the Lefebrists are beginning to unravel down various seams as the implications of the new encouragement of the Extraordinary Form (Tridentine Rite) of Mass emerge. If, as we can assume, its use becomes more normal in a fairly wide range of parishes over the next years, it will be harder and harder for them to hang on to their supporters. Watch for cross exchanges here. Meanwhile one shouldn't be older-brother-of-the-prodigal-son-ish so best leave comment minimal...

In the post comes the Family Bulletin of Family and Youth Concern with news of its annual conference (always excellent) on Sat June 14th in London. Speakers include Ray Lewis, a former prison governor on "Rites of passage in a modern age". Also at the meeting will be a courageous couple whose dedicated service as foster-parents may be forcibly ended as they are being told they must sign an approval of the hoosexual lifestyle if they wish to continue. The Bulletin has some horrible news from the European Parliament, which has passed a resolution announcing that children have a "right" to abortion - sorry, " sexual and reproductive healthand family planning education and services" and that this "must" be an "integral part of thje future EU strategy on the rights of the child." Ugh. Did your MEP vote for this? Did you even know it was on the agenda?

Also in the post: New Directions, published by the Anglican group Forward in Faith. It has some very, very good writing in it. There's a snappy and funny diary column, a good comment-piece on the Shannon Matthews case, and some excellent book reviews including one of Fr Aidan Nicholls' The Realm.