An American decided to write a book about famous Catholic churches around the world, so he took a trip to Rome to research it. He was inside a Catholic Church in Rome when he noticed a golden telephone mounted on a wall with a notice that said, '£5,000 sterling per call'. This intrigued the American so much that he asked as priest what the telephone was for. The priest replied, "It is a direct telephone line to heaven and for the Italian equivalent of "£5,000 you can talk to God." Surprised, the American thanked the priest and left.

A month later the American was in Catholic church in Moscow and saw that it also had a golden telephone mounted on a wall with a notice that said, '£5,000 sterling per call'. Puzzled he asked a passing priest what the telephone was for. The priest replied, "It is a direct telephone line to heaven and for the Russian equivalent of "£5,000 you can talk to god." More bemused than ever the American continued his holiday.

The American continued to research his book by visiting Catholic Churches as far afield as Germany, Holland, France, Spain, Portugal, South America, Israel and Cyprus and in each country he found a Catholic Church with the same golden telephone with the same sign mounted on the church's wall. By now totally mystified the American decide to visit England to see if the Catholic Church there had the same golden telephone.

It was while visiting the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Newcastle upon Tyne, the American found the same golden telephone mounted on a wall but the sign beneath said, '20pence per call'. A very puzzled American enquired of a priest in the Church saying, "Father I've been in Catholic churches all over the world and seen this golden telephone which said I could make a direct call to heaven for £5,000 but here I can make the call for 20p! Why is it so much cheaper here?" The priest smiled kindly and said, "My son, you're on Tyneside in the Diocese of Hexham & Newcastle. It's a local call".