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TONY BLAIR CONVERTS TO CATHOLICISM

One of Tony Blair's last acts as prime minister was to visit Pope Benedict in June

Saturday December 22,2007

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Tony Blair has converted to Roman Catholicism, the former PM's official spokesman has confirmed.

Mr Blair was received into the Catholic Church by the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, in the chapel of the Archbishop's House in Westminster on Friday night.

Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor 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 programme of formation to prepare for his reception into full communion."

Monsignor Mark O'Toole, the cardinal's private secretary, led Mr Blair through his period of spiritual preparation before Friday night's ceremony.

The cardinal added: "My prayers are with him, his wife and family at this joyful moment in their journey of faith together."

The move comes after years of speculation that Mr Blair, whose wife Cherie and four children are Catholic, would convert from Anglicanism after he resigned from Number 10 in June.

One of his last acts as prime minister was to visit Pope Benedict in June - his third trip to the Vatican in four years.

The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams wished the former Prime Minister well in his spiritual journey.

He said: "Tony Blair has my prayers and good wishes as he takes this step in his Christian pilgrimage."

REALLY

26.12.07, 7:16pm

IDo not give a toss what he has converted to no more than what the catholic church says on problems of the day causing misery to people being blighted by their religion, a narrow religion to which we do not all subscribe.
If one can be welcomed into the flock having changed horses in mid stream, when it suits, it does rather appear to be a convenient religion, on their own side ,of course.

• Posted by: Maggie • Report Comment

WHERE IS THE FRUITS OF REPENTANCE IN THIS MAN?

23.12.07, 9:51pm

Tony Blair have not publicly renounced his sins, especially, on Sexual Orientation Regulation, on abolition of section 28, the destruction of traditional Christian marriage on one man one woman until death do we part.
Has he renounced abortion and pills to children in secondary school which Gordon Brown now preside over, has he renounced allowing gays and lesbians to adopt children, has he renounced his fertilisation of lesbians with sperm from a man as donor. Tony Blair has not shown any contrition to the issue of building a Mega Mosque in the heart of London which would be the largest Mosque in Western Europe.
This man if he is truly repentant of all sins would not be ashamed to admit publicly like the Zaccheaus the public tax collector who utilized his position to amass wealth at the detriment of the society. When he repented before Jesus, he restituted publicly four fold the properties he misappropriated and publicly apologized before Jesus Christ and those around him. No wonder the Lord graciously forgave him as he also was the son of Abraham.

Where are the fruits of Tony Blair repentance and conversion to true faith? If the Roman Catholic would be credible to their calling they must implement what is in the Bible, by treating every sinner equally without a preferential treatment, as God is no respecter of persons.

Unless the Roman Catholic can prove to the world that it has changed from the old system of covering up paedophiles, murderous priests who hide behind the canopy of celibacy to impregnate wives of Catholic men and their daughters and then carry out illegal but secret abortions and then cover things up then one is not surprised that the leopard can never change it colour.

We have not forgotten the Catholic Spanish inquisitions and murder of Christians at the behest of Vatican authority and the Roman Catholic Church. What about the crusade and murder and terrorism carried by Vatican ant Roman Catholic Church
What can we say of Rome’s collusion with Roman Catholic Adolph Hitler and the pogrom of European Jews? Even today the events taking shapes in the Middle East portends danger for the nation of Israel as Rome rides the scarlet coloured beast to persecute this woman with twelve stars in her crown, which God is going to deliver from the hand of this prostitute woman. On that day God would sanctify his name when he would punish this harlot of Revelation chapter 17. God is going to avenge for himself the blood of the martyrs of Jesus Christ at hand of this woman whom the kings of the Earth have committed fornication. You either repent now in dust and ashes or you wait for the calamity of God’s indignation and wrath.

• Posted by: Rebunk2002 • Report Comment

ONCE UPON A TIME I WAS A ROMAN CATHOLIC BUT NOW A BORN AGAIN CHRISTIAN

23.12.07, 9:48pm

I was a Catholic once upon a time. I used to go to the mass and confess sins before Rev. Father, so as to take the communion on Sunday. Then the rest of the week I would descend like the submarine ship into the ocean of sins, only to resurfaces on a Saturday to confess my sins again, and then receive communion on a Sunday.

I continued in this helpless state wanting to be free from my sins which I have no power to overcome as I struggled not to fornicate, lie, curse, swear, covet, hates, keep malice, and keep girl friends with whom we were not married but were having sex as a sin known as fornication, it was until I met the Lord Jesus Christ the son of David, in a forum of fellowship of Christian Students, where I heard a clear message on how to get rid of my sins, was by act of sincere repentance, contrition and godly sorrow for all sins I had committed.

It was needful that I should confess my sins them directly to God and never via a human agent called the Rev. Father as he also has his sins to repent off. Furthermore, I needed to promise God that if he can pardon and forgive me and write my name in Jesus’ book of life, that I would not go back to my former sinful ways and would no longer live in fornications and adulteries. I pleaded for pardon and cleansing through the vicarious blood of the lamb slain since the foundation of the world, and pardon I did get with a sweet calming and assuring words my son go and sin no more. It was a transformation from death into the kingdom of his dear son Jesus Christ.

Oh I can not tell the joy, peace, and gladness that flooded my soul that my sins I no longer carry them like a heavy stone about as they were effectively taken away from. The evidence was that I could not have pleasures in the things that was contrary to God’s will, as the bible became a testimonial to the effect that if any one is in Christ Jesus, he is a knew creature, old things (i.e. adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, murder, abortions, drunkenness, reveling) are passed away. I experienced that I could not sin again, because he that is born of God does not commit sin as the seed of righteousness was now in me.

No more confessions before Rev. Fathers because Jesus Christ has set me free from the bondage of sin. Therefore, If the Son shall set you free then ye shall be free indeed, hence, I cease to be a catholic, since am now a convert and a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, the coming king of the Jews and gentiles.

To have this transformation requires repentance and forsaking of old ways and trust in the blood of the spotless lamb of God, sacrificed on a good Friday for cleansing of sins and salvation. Not in my good works, like indulgences, attending mass, giving to charity, going on pilgrimage, praying through dead disciples of Lord Jesus Christ or even through Mary as she also confessed her need of Jesus as her saviour in the magnificat. And Mary said my soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my saviour, (Luke 1:46-47)

My friend do you know Jesus Christ as your saviour, without him if anyone dies in his sins he would be heading to hellfire even if you confess a number of times to the priest that would not take away your sins, nothing but the blood of Jesus Christ. The issue is not Catholicism; the issue is what you will do with Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the man of Galilee, the wounded, slain, crucified, buried but risen Lamb of God now with his father at the right hand side of the Majesty throne in heaven. He would judge the quick and dead, irrespective of any affiliations or conversion. Kiss the son now lest he is angry and you perish when his wrath is stirred up only a little.

• Posted by: Rebunk2002 • Report Comment

I HOPE THE ARCHBISHOP READS THIS.

23.12.07, 10:39am

Writing as a Catholic myself,I`m now seriously considring leaving the church over this matter.OK so we can and should be forgiving of repentent sinners.I`ve no problem there.There is more joy in heaven over one repentent sinner and so on.Where I have great difficulty is with the idea that this man is actually truly repentent.Where is there any statment that he now realises that the anti-Catholic stand he took as an MP and PM were wrong and that he now bitterly regrets his actions?There has,to my knowledge,been no such statement.If Blair has been to confession to admit these sins where is the penance?In days of old even Emperors had to make public penance so that all of the faithful could see he was at least in public truly repentent.Why does not the church make Blair do this as a condition of joining the church.If he has not admitted any sin or fault on his part,then how has he been allowed to take communion.If this man had been a Catholic while an MP or PM his actions would have warrented ex-comunication.Does not the good name of the Church mean anything to the Archbishop of Westminster or the Pope?It seems more important to have a celebrety convert than to up hold the teachings and principles of the Church.You may have gained Blair and you are welcome to him,as for myself and my family you have lost us.I hope many other Catholics will protest about this man being accepted into the Church.To me this man has been nothing short of evil.The blood of many inoccent people are on his hands and he did more than anyone in Britain over past ten years to advance and promote a PC,anti-Christian and anti Catholic agenda.

• Posted by: hugahoodie • Report Comment