One of the things that most attracted me to the Catholic Church was her universal nature. If you are a Catholic, you can go anywhere in the world and take part in Mass in all the countries. I have been to Mass in Kigali, in Beijing, in Singapore.
I remember when we went to Mass in Tokyo. I went incognito, in a very low key, but at the end of the celebration a woman invited the many visitors to stand up and introduce themselves. So I stood up and said, "I'm Tony from London." Which was quite a surprise!
Well, the sense that wherever you are in the world you are in communion with others is truly formidable. It is something that fascinates me. The universal Church is herself the model of a global institution.
--Tony Blair, in an interview by Giulia Galeotti of L'Osservatore Romano, 16 Sept 2009
