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This will be Tony Blair's third visit to the Vatican City in four years$ ?. v% o$ W r4 A$ A/ m
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% W% S8 Y- c3 ]) `4 bBlair will convert to Catholicism 'soon' $ `! C5 J# j8 @. Q% d% n
Tony Blair is planning to announce that he will convert to Roman Catholicism soon after he meets the Pope at the Vatican tomorrow, according to Church sources and friends of the Prime Minister. : r& s; I/ n: ?" C4 g+ {2 U3 @* ]* v: w7 ]1 R" `
Mr Blair, an Anglican, may even inform the Pontiff of his intentions and seek his approval at the audience, which he is due to attend with his wife Cherie, a devout Catholic, and their daughter Kathryn. 3 n" ?- k2 O7 D- u" @7 t. J; Z \) E# L4 s" a+ ?3 x' v9 O. w5 ]" B
Downing Street would not confirm the intended conversion last night.1 H3 L7 I' [; e
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However, The Daily Telegraph understands that it is the Prime Minister's firm intention to begin formal preparations as soon as possible after the hand-over of power to Gordon Brown next Wednesday. 5 V, K- b; b5 ~5 I& E& B5 b3 c) P
A source said: "It is clear to many people that this is now going to happen."0 s- z6 k* B7 s
$ g. E5 Q: u: `2 Z5 {* t: l. XThere has never been a Catholic Prime Minister in Britain, although there is no longer a formal constitutional bar. However, Mr Blair would have been aware that to convert while in Downing Street could have caused a potential conflict with his role in choosing Church of England bishops. # G5 H& D6 X" W' [4 G+ HHis reluctance to convert while Prime Minister may also have been accentuated by delicate negotiations with both sides in the Northern Ireland peace process, his party's tolerance of abortion and support for gay rights as well as his personal enthusiasm for stem cell research, which the Catholic Church opposes.4 ^" [' F6 M( V4 h* ]6 u ~/ m
& y. r. z* n3 D9 Z# c. q2 IIt is likely that he will begin a private course of instruction with a spiritual director and he will be expected to be formally received into the Catholic Church at a service. $ K* c! d. |) u& C! a ; t- ? m2 e4 i" G2 h/ {His audience with the Pope - which could be in jeopardy if the European summit overuns - will be his third visit to the Vatican in four years and reflects his growing fascination with Catholicism.# C7 Y: ~5 G ^7 {- R
" O# {5 N$ c# K" e1 Q% lSources said that he may revive a long-standing invitation to Pope Benedict to visit the UK. Mr Blair is also expected to discuss the Middle East situation and his growing interest in promoting understanding between faiths, which friends say will be a key part of a new foundation he plans to establish. + F9 I0 Y# J/ A/ @ 1 Q" Q& X, E: J0 vChurch sources have been saying for some time that Mr Blair, whose four children have been brought up as Catholics, was already a Catholic in all but name as he rarely attended Anglican services except on state occasions. In the past he has attended Mass at Westminster Cathedral in London with his family and, for security reasons, in Downing Street.) g" B! N6 g5 E! F0 k& H
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He has also attended Mass regularly at Chequers and is said to attend services on his own when he is abroad./ w6 _8 g! O. p, b, J0 T, D+ S1 g
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Three years ago his parish priest at Chequers, Fr Timothy Russ, disclosed that Mr Blair had discussed becoming a Catholic with him.: [. {# s6 ~) x: w
' q" N( F) n* B: vBut Fr Russ added that Mr Blair, whose views on a range of issues from abortion to stem cell research are at odds with traditional Church teaching, had "some way to go" on important moral issues. In a new book, Fr Russ also reveals that Mr Blair even discussed the possibility of becoming a Catholic deacon, a position below that of a priest that can be held by lay people.% l+ G) g" s5 W
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In 1996, Cardinal Basil Hume, the late Archbishop of Westminster, wrote to him demanding that he should cease taking Communion at his wife's church in Islington. 7 I; ^3 h9 [% H8 g8 P. R$ E+ }9 d" J, c
Mr Blair made clear that he did not agree, asking in a letter to Cardinal Hume: "I wonder what Jesus would have made of it."8 E5 A2 t; w* Z
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