Former PM Tony Blair becomes Catholic: Sky News
What will be interesting to see is if he has become Catholic on his own terms or on the Church's terms. Of all the available articles I picked this one because it has the pro-life angle:
The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) reacted with surprise to the news.
John Smeaton, SPUC's national director, said: "During his premiership Tony Blair became one of the world's most significant architects of the culture of death, promoting abortion, experimentation on unborn embryos, including cloned embryos, and euthanasia by neglect.
"SPUC is writing to Tony Blair to ask him whether he has repented of the anti-life positions he has so openly advocated throughout his political career."
Tory MP Ann Widdecombe, who converted to Catholicism in 1993, told Sky News it was possible in her opinion to be a practising Catholic and prime minister.
She said: "I think the crucial thing to remember is at the point you are received (into the Catholic church) you have to say individually and out loud 'I believe everything the church teaches to be revealed truth'.
"And that means if you previously had any problems with church teaching, as Tony Blair obviously did over abortion, as he did again over Sunday trading...you would have to say you changed your mind.
"And I think people will want to know that he did go through that process, because otherwise it will seem as if the church did make an exception for somebody just because of who he is."
It will be interesting to hear if and how his public policy position has changed on abortion. Of course, his wife has been widely accused of being in favor of abortion rights, artificial contraception, and same sex unions. I haven't seen any affirmations or denials attributed to her, just the imputation.
The consensus is that Tony Blair's political career is finished at age 54. This merely seals it.
