Tony Blair Converts To Roman Catholicism!
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Former British prime minister Tony Blair has become a Roman Catholic, church officials said Saturday, ending widespread speculation that he would switch to the faith of his wife and four children.
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20071223/tts-britain-politics-blair-religion-cath-cac1e9b.html
But as Catholic leaders welcomed Blair into the fold, immediate questions were raised about whether the 54-year-old had now renounced his liberal views on contentious areas like abortion, gay rights and stem-cell research.
A spokesman for the leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor, said Blair had been "received into full communion with the Catholic Church" at a private mass on Friday night.
Murphy O'Connor, who took the ceremony, praised the conversion of Blair, now the international community's special envoy to the Middle East.
"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," he said.
"My prayers are with him, his wife and family at this joyful moment in their journey of faith together."
Vatican spokesman Frederico Lombardi added: "Catholics are glad to welcome into their community someone who has followed a serious and reflective path towards Catholicism."
The leader of the worldwide Anglican communion, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, also wished Blair well.
Blair's conversion from Anglicanism had been expected for a long time.
He regularly attended Catholic mass alongside his wife Cherie, a lifelong Catholic, while prime minister and only attended Anglican services on state occasions.
One of his last acts as premier was to visit Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican, fuelling speculation that a switch was imminent.
But converting earlier could have been tricky, because of his role in peace talks between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland, his government's legislation on same-sex partnerships and his role appointing Church of England bishops.
His former press chief, Alastair Campbell -- who once told journalists "we don't do God" when Blair was asked about religion -- told BBC television: "His faith does matter an awful lot to him as people who've worked with him, those who have known him, they've known that for some time.
"And it's something that I suspect he probably felt he couldn't do as prime minister, he's done it now."
There is no legal or constitutional bar to a Catholic being British prime minister although there has never been a Catholic premier.
Some commentators suggest that Blair will struggle to reconcile his Catholic faith with certain political decisions taken by his government such as allowing same-sex couples to enter into legally recognised civil partnerships.
Lawmaker Ann Widdecombe, from the main opposition Conservative Party, who became a Catholic in 1993, said being received into the faith meant stating publicly: "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," she told Sky News television.
John Smeaton, head of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), said he would be writing to Blair to ask whether he has "repented of the anti-life positions" he advocated during his political career.
"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," he added.
The extent of Blair's religious faith and how far it influenced his political decision-making was of regular interest in Britain.
He was once asked by an interviewer whether he prayed with US President George W. Bush and appeared to suggest in another interview that he would be judged by a higher power for his controversial backing of the 2003 Iraq war.
Blair told a recent BBC television documentary that the British electorate would likely see any politician who wore his religion on his sleeve as a "nutter". -
... for convenience?
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Only time will tell.Originally posted by AndrewPKYap:... for convenience?
That said, having lived in England, I personally find it rather inconvenient to be a Catholic.
It's hard to work off 500 years of anti-Catholicism that's deeply embedded in English culture, and given the current agnostic/atheist tendencies that are ascendant there, the Church probably has fewer fans than Al Qaeda there.
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If the article was quoted correctly, he had been attending mass with his family members (wife &children) all along. This seems to be something that will happen if not now, will be later, anyway.Originally posted by ObiterDicta:Only time will tell.
That said, having lived in England, I personally find it rather inconvenient to be a Catholic.
It's hard to work off 500 years of anti-Catholicism that's deeply embedded in English culture, and given the current agnostic/atheist tendencies that are ascendant there, the Church probably has fewer fans than Al Qaeda there. -
Bleah. Let's see him walk the talk first.
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Btw, is it possible for you to revive my expired 'Amicus Veritas' thread please?Originally posted by SingaporeMacross:Bleah. Let's see him walk the talk first.
Thanks,
ob -
Expired threads cannot be revived by mods
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Thank you.Originally posted by laurence82:Expired threads cannot be revived by mods -
Blair is like St Paul, says Roman Catholic priest
Malaysia Sun
Tuesday 25th December, 2007
(ANI)
London, Dec.25 : A Roman Catholic priest, who was instrumental in guiding Tony Blair on his path to Rome, has compared the former British Prime Minister to St Paul.
Canon Timothy Russ, a parish priest at the Great Missenden, the nearest Catholic church to the prime ministerial country residence at Chequers, called on Catholics who resented Blair because of his voting record on abortion and stem cell research to remember the example of the Christian Church's greatest Apostle, St Paul, a key figure in spreading the message of Christianity.
St Paul was ruthless in his persecution of early Christians before his dramatic conversion on the Road to Damascus.
"Quite a lot of people will be quite anti-Tony Blair at first. They will be unhappy that he has become a Catholic so easily. But they have to realise that St Paul had been a frightful anti-Christian before he became a convert and did great things for the Church. I would advise people who are critical to wait and see what sort of man this will be, and how he might help our cause," The Times quoted Canon Russ, as saying.
The leaders of this religious fraternity have played down Blair's conversion to Catholicism. The office of the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Con-nor, has described Blair as "just one more individual".
In the past, Blair has been criticised for not taking a sufficiently "Catholic" line in votes in Parliament on abortion and stem cell research. -
As prime minister, this guy appointed a bleeding liberal to lead the Anglican Church.....then he run away to join the Catholic Church .........
Now the Anglican Church is on the verge of splitting apart over the issue of gay priests......no thanks to the weak leadership of the Blair appointed Archbishop of Canterbury.........
Had he appointed a conservative head of the Anglican Church, there would have been a better chance for Anglican/Catholic unity.
As it is, which RC bishop would want to associate himself with the gay infested Anglican Church? Unless Blair can convince the Pope to admit Homos openly to the priesthood like the Anglicans.
This guy really created shiit and then run away!
Like a little boy who light a fire in the neighbour's house and then run home to mommy......
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we should never judge a person..
take it at face value and respect his decision.. and welcome him
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He is just a symbolic head. Like the queen. Dont think anglicans would look up to him for spiritual advise....
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Blair was a Catholic Agent set up to wreak havoc on the English Church and weaken it to Roman overtures. The time is right for strife muahahaha!Originally posted by Dr Who:As prime minister, this guy appointed a bleeding liberal to lead the Anglican Church.....then he run away to join the Catholic Church .........
Now the Anglican Church is on the verge of splitting apart over the issue of gay priests......no thanks to the weak leadership of the Blair appointed Archbishop of Canterbury.........
Had he appointed a conservative head of the Anglican Church, there would have been a better chance for Anglican/Catholic unity.
As it is, which RC bishop would want to associate himself with the gay infested Anglican Church? Unless Blair can convince the Pope to admit Homos openly to the priesthood like the Anglicans.
This guy really created shiit and then run away!
Like a little boy who light a fire in the neighbour's house and then run home to mommy...... -
And what agent is vadermanu89?Originally posted by vadermanu89:Blair was a Catholic Agent set up to wreak havoc on the English Church and weaken it to Roman overtures. The time is right for strife muahahaha! -
his purpose is to show his own stupidity?
Originally posted by Honeybunz:And what agent is vadermanu89? purpose is to wreak havoc here? -
Originally posted by the Bear:his purpose is to show his own stupidity?
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I believe Blair's conversion is just tip of the iceberg of some Roman overtures within the Anglo communities. The Catholic Church under Cardinal Ratzinger and now Pope Benedict has launched a quiet 'offensive' to encourage ecumenism while attempting to garner more converts. I personally feel that within this century, the Church of England may be greatly reduced in numbers and possibly even reunited with the Holy Roman See.
Firstly there are greater number of Catholic Churchgoers than Anglican Churchgoers in England. This shows the growing influence of Catholicism within the heart of Anglicanism.Catholic churchgoers now outnumber Anglicans for the first time since the Reformation partly due to the massive migration from Catholic countries, according to new research.
Secondly, the overtures to frustrated Anglo Catholics and Traditionalist Anglicans have begun to bear fruits.
Church of England services are no longer Britain's most popular form of worship and have been overtaken by Catholic mass, a study by the organisation Christian Research has found.
The large number of EU nationals from Eastern Europe who have immigrated to the UK in recent years have swelled the numbers attending masses across the country.
Estimates for church attendances in 2006, based on previous years' figures, reveal 861,800 Catholics attended services every Sunday compared with 852,500 Anglican worshippersThree Church of Ireland parishes have asked to be received into full communion with the Catholic Church, The Irish Catholic newspaper reports this week. The decision would pave the way for over 400,000 Anglicans to become Catholic.
Hence while official Anglican-Catholic ties are governed by Pope Leo XII Apostolic Curae (which nullified Anglican orders) and historic hostilities, there is a quiet offensive going on to reach out to the more Catholic part of the Anglican Communion.
The parishes, located in the counties Down, Tyrone and Laois, are members of the traditional rite of the Church of Ireland. The rite emerged in 1991 after the House of Bishops of the Church of Ireland decided to start ordaining women. Traditionalist Anglicans rejected this decision as a "defiance of both Scripture and Tradition."
A plenary meeting of the Traditional Anglican Communion, the umbrella organization for traditionalist parishes, decided to petition Rome to be received into full communion with the Holy See. While only a few hundred Anglicans in Ireland will be affected if an agreement is reached, the Traditional Anglican Communion itself has over 400,000 members who could all join the Catholic Church.
According to a statement from the Traditional Anglican Communion, "the bishops and vicars-general unanimously agreed to the text of a letter to the See of Rome seeking full, corporate, sacramental union." -
The blood of the English martyrs will not go to waste. The blood of martyrs is the seed of faith.Originally posted by vadermanu89:I believe Blair's conversion is just tip of the iceberg of some Roman overtures within the Anglo communities. The Catholic Church under Cardinal Ratzinger and now Pope Benedict has launched a quiet 'offensive' to encourage ecumenism while attempting to garner more converts. I personally feel that within this century, the Church of England may be greatly reduced in numbers and possibly even reunited with the Holy Roman See.
Firstly there are greater number of Catholic Churchgoers than Anglican Churchgoers in England. This shows the growing influence of Catholicism within the heart of Anglicanism.
Hence while official Anglican-Catholic ties are governed by Pope Leo XII Apostolic Curae (which nullified Anglican orders) and historic hostilities, there is a quiet offensive going on to reach out to the more Catholic part of the Anglican Communion.
"With full confidence we call upon these (Our Lady, St Peter and St George) to be our pleaders before the throne of God that receiving the joy of ancient days, it may fill you with all joy and peace in believing" Apostolic Letter of Pope Leo XIII to the English People, 14 April 1895."
The following prayer was also indulgenced on the same occasion.
O Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and our own most gentle Queen and Mother, look down in mercy upon England, thy Dowry, and upon us all who greatly hope and trust in thee. Through thee it was that Jesus our Saviour and our Hope was given unto the world; and he hath given thee to us that we might hope still more. Plead for us thy children, whom thou didst receive and accept at the foot of the Cross, O sorrowful Mother. Intercede for our separated English brethren, that they may be united with us in the one true Fold. Pray for us all, dear Mother, that by faith fruitful in good works, we may all deserve to see and praise God together with thee in our heavenly home. Amen.
Pope Leo XIII (300 days indulgence, plenary indulgence once a day for Catholics who pray the prayer each day, with the usual conditions of sacramental Confession,Communion at Mass and prayer for the intentions of the Pope). -
Hey .. the second statement came from one of the Church fathers.Originally posted by SingaporeMacross:The blood of the English martyrs will not go to waste. The blood of martyrs is the seed of faith.
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It is wrong to blame Blair for the problems that the Anglicans are facing.Originally posted by Dr Who:As prime minister, this guy appointed a bleeding liberal to lead the Anglican Church.....then he run away to join the Catholic Church .........
Now the Anglican Church is on the verge of splitting apart over the issue of gay priests......no thanks to the weak leadership of the Blair appointed Archbishop of Canterbury.........
Had he appointed a conservative head of the Anglican Church, there would have been a better chance for Anglican/Catholic unity.
As it is, which RC bishop would want to associate himself with the gay infested Anglican Church? Unless Blair can convince the Pope to admit Homos openly to the priesthood like the Anglicans.
This guy really created shiit and then run away!
Like a little boy who light a fire in the neighbour's house and then run home to mommy......
By the laws of the Anglican Church, the Archbishop of Cantebury does not have the ecclesiastical authority to be a strong leader, as the whole governance structure is based on consensus. Appointing a conservative head would not have helped. It might also be speculated that appointing such a person would be 'politically' impossible given the prevailing theological leanings of the clergy in England. Furthermore, the Episcopalians in the USA would have gone off to do their own loonie things regardless of who the Archbishop of Cantebury was. When you have a church in the USA that tolerates a bishop who does not believe in the Divinity of Christ (retired Newark bishop John Spong), one can tell that the problem is much deeper than who happens to be the Archbishop of Cantebury.
As for Anglican/Catholic unity, the doors have practically been closed many years ago when the Anglican Church decided to ordain females to the clergy. It would have made absolutely no difference who the Archbishop of Cantebury is.
Blair may have been guilty of doing many bad things, but messing up the Anglican Church is not one of them.