Catholic priest friend of mine came calling and I was pleased to show him the view of the towers of the City of London from the roof of my church. As we looked across the housing estates of Hackney, we traded powerful words about the dominance of finance capitalism and the collapse of civic society.

Then on the way down we shared some of our own numbers. How many come to Mass on Sunday? I asked. “We’re actually quite small,” he said, “about 300 people.” I nearly lost my step on the rickety ladder.