Tony Blair Explains Why He Became Catholic; Ted Kennedy Wrote Pope

Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Tony Blair was in the news explaining why he became Catholic:

Blair explains conversion to Catholicism

Former PM tells Italian audience that church can make globalisation ‘our servant, not our master, lit by God’s love and paved by God’s grace’

Press Association – Aug 28, 2009

Tony Blair said his conversion to Catholicism had been driven by his wife, Cherie, adding that it “felt right” and “is now where my heart is”.

The former prime minister, who now runs the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, switched from the Anglican church to Catholicism soon after leaving Downing Street two years ago. His wife and children were already Catholic.

He told the Communion and Liberation meeting in the Italian resort of Rimini yesterday: “Ever since I began preparations to become a Catholic, I felt I was coming home … this is now where my heart is, where I know I belong.”

Blair said he was “humbled” to make a speech to such eminent delegates because he was a “very new entrant” to the Catholic church.

In off-the-cuff remarks reported by the London Evening Standard, he added: “Frankly, this all began with my wife. I began to go to mass and we went together. We could have gone to the Anglican or Catholic church – guess who won?

“As time went on, I had been going to mass for a long time … it’s difficult to find the right words. I felt this was right for me. There was something, not just about the doctrine of the church, but of the universal nature of the Catholic church.”

Blair, now also a Middle East quartet envoy, used his speech to tell delegates that it was always a “pleasure” to be in Italy.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/aug/28/blair-conversion-catholicism

The political reality is that Tony Blair could not have become Catholic as Prime Minister, but being Catholic also makes him a more likely candidate to be the President of the EU.

Whether that will happen or not remains unclear.

But I have suspected that there is a possibility that Tony Blair MIGHT have a scripturally-related role during the Great Tribulation. We will see.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

Is Tony Blair Apocalyptic? The former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom converted to Catholicism shortly after leaving his office and has been active in European affairs. What role might he play?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
Can the Great Tribulation Begin in 2009, 2010, or 2011? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Gerat Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord?

On other matters related to Catholic news, I found the following to be of interest:

After Kennedy’s Death: Silence from the Pope

TIME – Aug 27, 2009

There was a poignant footnote to President Obama‘s historic July 10 meeting with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican. Behind closed doors in the papal library, Obama handed Benedict a letter that Senator Edward Kennedy had asked him to personally deliver to the pontiff.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs later told reporters that nobody – not even the President – knew the contents of the sealed missive. Obama himself asked Benedict to pray for Kennedy, and called the ailing Senator afterward to fill him in on his encounter with the 82-year-old Pope…

As of yet, unlike some other world leaders, Pope Benedict has not commented or issued an official communique in response to Kennedy’s death. One veteran official at the Vatican, of U.S. nationality, expressed the view of many conservatives about the Kennedy clan’s rapport with the Catholic Church: “Why would he even write a letter to the Pope? The Kennedys have always been defiantly in opposition to the Roman Catholic magisterium.” Magisterium is the formal expression for the authority of Church teaching. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1919064,00.html

It does seem a bit unusual that the late Senator Kennedy wrote Pope Benedict. However, I will not attempt to speculate publicly what the letter might have said as I not seen comments from any who actually know the contents.