Former British prime minister Tony Blair has left the Anglican church to become a Roman Catholic. His wife and children are already Catholic and there had been speculation he would convert after leaving office.
According to the BBC report, Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor-- who led the service to welcome Blair-- said he was "very glad" to do so. Last year, Blair said he had prayed to God when deciding whether or not to send U.K. troops into Iraq. One of Mr Blair's final official trips while prime minister was a visit to the Vatican in June where he met Pope Benedict XVI.
Former Conservative government minister, Ann Widdicombe, who became a Catholic in 1993, told the BBC Blair's move raised some questions. "If you look at Tony Blair's voting record in the House of Commons, he's gone against Church teaching on more than one occasion. On things, for example, like abortion," she said. "My question would be, 'has he changed his mind on that?'"
Blair's ex-spokesman, Alastair Campbell, once famously told reporters "We don't do God." Since leaving the government,Campbell has admitted that his former boss "does do God-- in quite a big way". Earlier this year, Blair told the BBC that he had avoided talking about his religious views while in office for fear of being labelled "a nutter".
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