The loss of this prestigious higher education institution and the rejection of a planned merger with a neighbouring university was met with dismay last week. Here the Jesuit provincial explains why the order made its decision With the announcement of the closure of its flagship educational institution, Heythrop College, The Tablet last week asked if the Society of Jesus was effectively pulling out of its mission in Britain. In little over a decade, the order has withdrawn from a major parish in Wimbledon, south London, and closed both the sizeable Campion House, in west London, and a retreat centre in Merseyside, to name just three. Where does all this leave the Jesuits in this country?The provincial of the British Province, Fr Dermot Preston, sat down with me last Friday to explain why