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CajunRick
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Posted: Sun Dec 23rd, 2007 11:58 am |
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Published: Dec. 22, 2007 at 10:39 AM
LONDON, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair officially converted to Catholicism at a service in a chapel in Westminster.
The ceremony followed a spate of rumors that Blair would convert following a meeting with Pope Benedict XIV during the summer, the Telegraph reported Saturday.
Blair's family is Catholic and he regularly attended services at Westminster Cathedral.
Blair's parish priest, Rev. Timothy Russ, said Blair discussed the conversion with him three years ago, but warned Blair he had "some way to go" on moral issues such as abortion and stem cell research.
Russ said in a recent book that Blair also discussed becoming a deacon in the Catholic Church.
The late Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Basil Hume, wrote then Prime Minister Blair in 1996 he should stop taking Communion because he was not a Catholic at the time.
The above artice is reposted from United Press International.
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CajunRick
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Posted: Sun Dec 23rd, 2007 12:13 pm |
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Out of office, Blair becomes Catholic
TONY Blair has converted to Catholicism, six months after stepping down as British prime minister, in a move that confirms the political and constitutional sensitivity that still surrounds Catholicism in Britain.
Mr Blair formally left the Church of England to become a Catholic in a ceremony on Friday, after deciding long ago that it would be wisest to wait until he left office instead of giving modern Britain its first Catholic PM.
One of the obvious flashpoints for a Catholic prime minister would be the PM's role in selecting senior bishops of the Church of England. Mr Blair appointed Rowan Williams as the Archbishop of Canterbury in 2002, and there would have been complaints from many Anglicans if that choice had been made by a Catholic.
The Church of England's role as the establishment church means the Queen is both head of state and head of the Anglican Church, and 26 seats in the House of Lords are reserved for senior Anglican bishops.
British laws ban the monarch and his or her heirs from being a Catholic or marrying a Catholic but there is no legal ban on Catholic PMs.
Four years ago both the Opposition Leader, Iain Duncan Smith, and the head of the third-party Liberal Democrats, Charles Kennedy, were Catholics, and Mr Blair was a regular worshipper at Catholic masses with his wife Cherie and four children, who are all Catholic.
But Blair decided to hold off on his own conversion, prompting friends and close aides to predict that it would come soon after he left 10 Downing Street.
British newspaper The Observer reported yesterday that Mr Blair began his formal instructions to convert in February, four months before leaving office, a fact he managed to keep secret despite considerable interest in his spiritual journey.
One of Mr Blair's last official engagements as PM was to visit Rome for a private audience with Pope Benedict.
Mr Blair ignored the Vatican's calls for him to avoid a war in Iraq, and defied Church teaching on issues such as abortion, stem cell research and adoptions by gay couples.
One of Mr Blair's cabinet appointees, Ruth Kelly, was the subject of considerable scrutiny during her tenure as education secretary because of her membership of the Catholic lay sect Opus Dei, with critics accusing her of favouring faith schools over the state system because of her religious beliefs.
Mr Blair admitted recently that he avoided discussing his faith while PM for fear of being labelled "a nutter", but his close Labour Party ally Peter Mandelson has revealed that Mr Blair always travelled with a Bible so he could read it each night.
Mr Blair's conversion in a ceremony overseen by the most senior Catholic bishop in England and Wales, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, came as a survey of 37,000 churches found that - for the first time since the Church of England broke away from Rome - more people are attending Catholic mass than Anglican services each Sunday.
An influx of immigrants from Poland, other Eastern European countries and Africa has beefed up Catholic congregations while Anglican pews have been steadily emptying.
The survey estimated 861,800 Catholics attended services every Sunday last year, compared with 852,500 Anglicans.
In Rome the chief Vatican spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, said Mr Blair's decision was to be celebrated.
"The choice of joining the Catholic Church made by such an authoritative personality can only arouse joy and respect," he said.
Dr Williams wished the former prime minister well in his spiritual journey.
"Tony Blair has my prayers and good wishes as he takes this step in his Christian pilgrimage," he said.
The above article is reposted from The Australian.
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David W. Emery
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Posted: Sun Dec 23rd, 2007 04:02 pm |
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Two things stand out in this second article. One is that Opus Dei is seen as a “sect.” If it were a sect, it would be an entity independent of the Catholic Church. The truth is that it is a Personal Prelature of the Catholic Church. This means that it has been set up within the Church as a Catholic organization with a bishop as its head. In this capacity, it is an integral part of the Church, not a separate sect.
Secondly, as mentioned in both articles, in order to become Catholic, Blair did have to disabuse himself of a number of opinions which go counter to Catholic doctrine. Most of these were a matter of life issues. It is, however, proper to note that, as with some of his other duties as Prime Minister, he was expected to uphold the official party line regardless of his personal beliefs. Therefore, he may or may not have acted conscientiously, depending on what was going on behind the scenes. We simply do not know how this was resolved. Suffice it to say that apparently it was resolved in such manner that Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor was able to receive him into the Church.
Honorable mention must go to the side comment that there are now more practicing Catholics in England than practicing Anglicans. It seems inevitable that the state church status of the Church of England is on its way out, but we must not think that tradition-loving Brits will allow this any time soon. Governmental ties such as those which Blair felt he had to honor while in office will take decades to work out before such a consideration can become feasible.
David
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TotusTuus
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Posted: Sun Dec 23rd, 2007 06:30 pm |
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A couple other interesting sidebars to this story are
1. Persistent rumors that Mr. Blair will pursue the Deaconate.
2. Anti-Catholic legislation still on the books in England. For example, according to the Act of Succession a future monarch may not marry a Catholic. Will Mr. Blair speak out against such institutionalized biogotry?
____________________
TTM!
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CajunRick
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Posted: Sun Dec 23rd, 2007 06:52 pm |
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In researching the articles I posted here, I found several blog posts which claim Blair is pursuing the diaconate as well. I couldn't find anything I considered credible, so I left it out, but that would certainly be an interesting development.
I found a very interesting column from The Times of London that discusses all the potential ramifications of a change in the rules in England to allow Catholics or those married to Catholics to become eligible for the throne, including (according to this author) possible independence for Scotland, the succession of Quebec from Canada, and an end to the British Commonwealth.
And then there is the fact that Prince William has had a long term relationship with a Catholic, Kate Middleton. Were they to marry, he would have to renounce his claim to the throne.
The Catholic question in England is about to get very interesting.
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sewnsew
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Posted: Sun Dec 23rd, 2007 07:06 pm |
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| It has certainly raised a firestorm of opinions- from the sincere who welcome him in and assume that he has privately confessed his sins to the anti- catholics and secularists who are using it as an excuse to further denigrate the Catholic church to protestants who all have opinions too...
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brian
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Posted: Sun Dec 23rd, 2007 10:40 pm |
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This is fascinating news. I wonder how much he has a right to simply be left alone about it and worship privately and have his faith be betwen him and God and those above him directly, or how much because of who he is and his history which does include affiliation with some views that are problematic (granted, as David said, maybe he was towing the line, but there is a quote from a priest here saying he needed some change of these views), that he should eventually make some things public to avoid scandal or the question of whether he is just Catholic, but believing privately on those issues against church teachin. If it were anyone else, perhaps it is best to leave him alone, but should he at some point want to speak up and show that he indeed not only converted, but shows solidarity and union with the views of the magisterium. I guess if I were him, I would want to be careful not to offend anyone or to do too much while still so young in my faith, yet I would not have become Catholic if I did not favor pro-life issues, therfore, if I did change my mind on them, I would want to clear the air, lest my example speak poorly for me, or I miss the opportunity to use my status to speak out for truth. I am glad I am not him I suppose.
I do want to hope and assume the best. That all the issues were taken into account by those who were responsible for them, and if they were not, it is not my problem. It is just that I know there are so many Catholics who can convert or be Catholic without believing everything Catholic, so I know it is at least possible that he could become Catholic but secretly believe whatever he wants. However, because he does seem so sincere and to be a person of integtrity, I do assume the best and rejoice with him, hoping he does whatever benefits his soul and whatever most glorifies God.
It is similar to Francis Beckwithwho, maybe would like time and privacy, yet because of his influence maybe needed to start saying something too avid scandal. Seems like a tough positio to be in, but I much admire the courage involved with each.
Brian
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CajunRick
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Posted: Sun Dec 23rd, 2007 10:55 pm |
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Holy See Welcomes Blair's Decision to Convert
VATICAN CITY, DEC. 23, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Tony Blair's decision to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church has been welcomed "with respect" by the Holy See, according to a Vatican spokesman.
Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, commented on the conversion to Catholicism of the former British prime minister. This is "good news that we welcome with respect," he said. "Catholics are glad to welcome into their community those who, through a serious and reflective journey, convert to Catholicism."
The Archdiocese of Westminster reported that the private ceremony of reception took place Friday.
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, archbishop of Westminster, 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 program 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."
For his part, Archbishop Rowan Williams, the leader of the Anglican Communion, to which Blair had belonged, wished the convert every good in his spiritual journey.
The above article is reposted with permission from Zenit.
Last edited on Sun Dec 23rd, 2007 10:56 pm by
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CajunRick
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Posted: Sun Dec 23rd, 2007 10:59 pm |
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I think it is important to note that in spite of the fact that Blair has attended Catholic mass for many years and that his wife and family are Catholic, he underwent a period of several months of instruction prior to being admitted to the Church.
Sometimes our Protestant brothers and sisters express frustration over the instruction required prior to becoming Catholic, but here is an example of a man who has been Catholic in all but name for many years, and yet he still accepted the authority of the Church and humbly submitted himself for instruction.
Just food for thought...
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sewnsew
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| First Name: | Kim | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | cradle Anglican, Episcopal /Catholic-04/07/07 |
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Posted: Mon Dec 24th, 2007 12:41 am |
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| Also to the people who are presuming that he went up for communion before he officially became Catholic- it is very hard to see if someone is going up for a blessing or taking communion- my daughter comes up for a blessing but from the back of the church or looking at a tv screen if it was a televised service it may easily be confused with accepting the host...not ours to point a finger. I have always liked him- didn't always follow all his votes or anything.. more power to him
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CajunRick
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Posted: Mon Dec 24th, 2007 02:16 am |
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kimdyuma wrote: Also to the people who are presuming that he went up for communion before he officially became Catholic- One of the blogs I read in researching this story indicated that he did indeed receive communion in the Catholic Church until he was informed that it was not proper about decade ago, and he did not receive again until, presumably, today.
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Free
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Posted: Mon Dec 24th, 2007 09:14 am |
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Since Tony Blair and George Bush are good friends, my instant prayer on reading this news is that President Bush would consider the claims of the Catholic Church.
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heardclarke
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Posted: Mon Dec 24th, 2007 10:51 am |
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Hello friends...it has been a whle since I've posted. Sorry!
I did not know it was not OK to receive communion in the Catholic church whilst I was an Episcopalian, until someone told me. Anglicans have been taught that taking communion is basically an expression of unity, making a statement about one's personal belief in Jesus as the Savior. This is why it can be so hard for them to understand that they must not take it in a Catholic mass. Nobody tells them that it is really the Body and Blood of Christ -- and NOT bread and wine any longer. Transubstantiation is both poorly understood and also considered a matter for one's own conscience.
Regarding Prince William--I think his popularity is such that perhaps Parliament can finally address this unjust law about a monarch never marrying a Catholic. Nobody in their right mind would argue now that such a marriage could threaten national security (as I believe was the argument 400 years ago.)
BTW, an early Merry Christmas to everyone. I will be attending 3 or 4 Episcopal services at which I am expected to sing, and then "my" Mass on Christmas morning, so I won't be home much for the next 24 hours! I am praying that a Protestant friend comes with me tomorrow to the Mass, and that she will see how beautiful the Church is.
Love, Lisa
____________________
Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est.
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JasPax
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Posted: Mon Dec 24th, 2007 10:58 am |
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CajunRick wrote: I think it is important to note that in spite of the fact that Blair has attended Catholic mass for many years and that his wife and family are Catholic, he underwent a period of several months of instruction prior to being admitted to the Church.
Sometimes our Protestant brothers and sisters express frustration over the instruction required prior to becoming Catholic, but here is an example of a man who has been Catholic in all but name for many years, and yet he still accepted the authority of the Church and humbly submitted himself for instruction.
Thanks for making this point, Rick. Often it comes as a shock to some that becoming Catholic requires that they have some knowledge of the faith, i.e., RCIA. This is especially true when they come from faith communities where all that is required is response to an, "altar call."
Merry Christmas,
____________________
James
"Abide in me, and I in you..." John 15:4
"He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him." John 6:56
RSV-2CE
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New Creation
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Posted: Sat Dec 29th, 2007 01:53 am |
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JasPax wrote: CajunRick wrote: I think it is important to note that in spite of the fact that Blair has attended Catholic mass for many years and that his wife and family are Catholic, he underwent a period of several months of instruction prior to being admitted to the Church.
Sometimes our Protestant brothers and sisters express frustration over the instruction required prior to becoming Catholic, but here is an example of a man who has been Catholic in all but name for many years, and yet he still accepted the authority of the Church and humbly submitted himself for instruction.
Thanks for making this point, Rick. Often it comes as a shock to some that becoming Catholic requires that they have some knowledge of the faith, i.e., RCIA. This is especially true when they come from faith communities where all that is required is response to an, "altar call."
Merry Christmas,
I really love the fact that some knowledge is necessary. I think that it shows that you are serious about your claim to want to be a Catholic.
I've always liked Tony Blair. And now I like him even more. I hope he writes a book about his journey. I'd love to read it.
____________________
always a seeker
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brian
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Posted: Sun Dec 30th, 2007 03:59 am |
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| That could be an interesting Journey Home program.
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New Creation
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Posted: Mon Dec 31st, 2007 01:20 am |
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brian wrote: That could be an interesting Journey Home program.
Wow, it sure would!
____________________
always a seeker
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roxyorthodoxy
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Posted: Tue Jan 1st, 2008 07:34 pm |
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That's the same thought that crossed my mind!!!
Now that he is leaving office, like Tony Blair did, he has the freedom to pursue other religions, hopefully the True One!
Unfortunately, you don't read too many stories about Catholic converts in the secular press.
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