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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Tony Blair joins Catholic faith | Tony Blair joins Catholic faith |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Former Prime Minister Tony Blair has converted to the Catholic faith. | Former Prime Minister Tony Blair has converted to the Catholic faith. |
| His wife Cherie is a Catholic and there had been speculation that he would convert to Catholicism from his Anglican faith after leaving office. | His wife Cherie is a Catholic and there had been speculation that he would convert to Catholicism from his Anglican faith after leaving office. |
| Mr Blair's official spokesman confirmed he had converted on Friday night and said it was a private matter. | Mr Blair's official spokesman confirmed he had converted on Friday night and said it was a private matter. |
| Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor said he was "very glad" to welcome Mr Blair, who is now a Middle East peace envoy, into the Catholic Church. | |
| 'Nutter' fear | |
| One of Mr Blair's final official trips while prime minister was a visit to the Vatican in June where he who met Pope Benedict XVI. | |
| Downing Street refused to comment on his conversion, saying it was a family matter. | Downing Street refused to comment on his conversion, saying it was a family matter. |
| Earlier this year, the former prime minister told the BBC that he had avoided talking about his religious views while in office for fear of being labelled "a nutter". | Earlier this year, the former prime minister told the BBC that he had avoided talking about his religious views while in office for fear of being labelled "a nutter". |
| His ex-spokesman Alastair Campbell once told reporters "We don't do God," but has since said that his former boss "does do God in quite a big way". | His ex-spokesman Alastair Campbell once told reporters "We don't do God," but has since said that his former boss "does do God in quite a big way". |
| Regular worshipper | |
| Mr Blair was received into full communion with the Catholic Church by Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor during Mass in the chapel at Archbishop's House in Westminster. | |
| The cardinal said: "I am very glad to welcome Tony Blair into the Catholic Church. | |
| "For a long time he has been a regular worshipper at Mass with his family and in recent months he has been following a programme of formation to prepare for his reception into full communion. | |
| "My prayers are with him, his wife and family at this joyful moment in their journey of faith together." | |
| Political issues | |
| Catherine Pepinster, editor of Catholic magazine, The Tablet, said Mr Blair's conversion was "not a surprise" but was a "momentous step" for him. | |
| She said: "It would have been rather different if he had become a Catholic when he was still prime minister. | |
| "I understand that one of the issues he was concerned with, because he was so closely involved in negotiations over peace in Northern Ireland, that perhaps some people there might have been uncomfortable with the prime minister converting to Catholicism at such a time. | |
| "This situation is different. Although he remains a public figure now, and clearly has a role to play in the Middle East, it isn't perhaps quite the same." | |
| The news comes as a document was revealed showing that Mr Blair had raised "concern" over ongoing business negotiations in a letter about an investigation into a Saudi arms deal days. | The news comes as a document was revealed showing that Mr Blair had raised "concern" over ongoing business negotiations in a letter about an investigation into a Saudi arms deal days. |
| Days later the probe was dropped and Mr Blair said the decision to stop the probe into the BAE deal was taken because of national security and was not linked to commercial interests. | Days later the probe was dropped and Mr Blair said the decision to stop the probe into the BAE deal was taken because of national security and was not linked to commercial interests. |