I don't see a reason for people to be cynical about this. I know a whole lot of people who really enjoy being Catholic. I think maybe Blair put it off because as PM, he didn't have time for the RCIA* process, a yearlong preparation program that can be quite wonderful. And as PM, it might be difficult for him to be treated like a "real person" by other participants in the program. Over the last nine months before Easter, I spent every Wednesday night with our RCIA group, and it was a remarkable experience. It didn't hurt that these newcomers treated me like some kind of guru. My self-esteem got a bit battered by some Catholic fundamentalists when I directed the RCIA program the year before, but this year went very well.

I think Tony Blair has a far better reputation in the US than he has at home. His contemporaries Clinton and Bush are people that even their supporters can't be proud of, so Blair made a much better impression here. Yeah, it does seem that he can be overly concerned with appearances and "spin," but not overwhelmingly so. He tried to stay in the center and seemed to try to serve the entire nation, not just one ideological point of view. From my perspective, I think Blair did a lot to soften the damage done by Margaret Thatcher.

-Joe-



*Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults, and I wish the Catholic Church could think of better names and resist the use of acronyms for sacraments.