Tony Blair turns Catholic in private ceremony

By Patrick Hennessy and Jonathan Wynne-Jones

Last Updated: 2:30am GMT 23/12/2007

Tony Blair has caused fresh controversy by converting to Roman Catholicism less than six months after leaving office.


	Tony Blair had declined to discuss his faith while he was prime minister

The former prime minister ended years of speculation by being received into the Church in a private ceremony celebrated by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor at Westminster.

His wife Cherie, who, like the couple's four children, is already a Catholic, was her husband's sponsor on Friday night.

The timing and manner of Mr Blair's conversion attracted criticism.

Anti-abortion campaigners said they would contact Mr Blair, now the West's Middle East peace envoy, to demand whether he had repented of his "anti-life" position.

Mr Blair has voted in the Commons in favour of allowing abortion - contrary to the declared position of the Catholic Church. He has also backed Sunday trading - again in opposition to the Church.

Mr Blair approached Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor in the spring with a view to joining the Church, The Sunday Telegraph has learned.

Catholic sources said Mr Blair would have had to attend confession in the days leading up to his reception into the Church, in order to seek pardon for his sins.

That may have involved decisions in his 10 years in power, such as leading Britain into war with Iraq in 2003.

Ann Widdecombe, the Tory MP who converted to Catholicism in 1993, spoke out about Mr Blair's "delay" in following the same path.

Commentators claim he would have converted years earlier were it not for his position as prime minister.

Britain has become a 'Catholic country'

22 December 2007: Tony Blair converts to Catholicism

25 November 2007: Tony Blair: Mention God and you're a 'nutter'

22 June 2007: Blair will convert to Catholicism 'soon'

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/12/23/nchurch223.xml