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Tony Blair & religion;; former PM's views & comments
Topic Started: Sunday, 24. June 2007, 17:35 (1,209 Views)
Rose of York
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Fifty years ago there were protests when a Catholic became mayor in the town of my birth. He was acknowledged to be a fine town councillor, but the idea of a Catholic leader was, to some, almost treason.

Young men went to France, to the Douai seminary, and returned to this island to minister to Catholics, knowing they risked martyrdom.

I rejoice that a former Prime Minister has acknowledged the One True Faith, and is free to attend Holy Mass in our mother Cathedral at Westminster.
Keep the Faith!

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Michaeljohn

We should all rejoice at the conversion of any sinner but I am reminded of the comment reputedly made by Metternch when he heard of the death of Talleyrand (noted for his deviousness in diplomatic negotiations), "I wonder what he meant by that".
And I wonder why an ex-Prime Minister needs an"official spokesman". :o
Like Gerard I wish he had had the guts to do it while he was still in office. We might then have sorted out some of the legal detritus left over from the Catholic Emancipation Act. This does not bar Catholics from holding the office but there is a suggestion that a Catholic PM would be "constitutionally awkward" since he is still responsible for recommending ecclesiastical appointments in the CofE.
Gordon Brown appears to be trying to wriggle his way out of that corner though with what success only time will tell.
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Em.

I must say that it is a good idea and he is welcome (as if I had any authority),
But what has the Church done to smooth the errors that he acomplished during his last days in office?
He did it publicly and he should apologise publicly. - nothing to be merry about.
Divine Mercy
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saundthorp

Rose of York
Dec 22 2007, 01:51 PM
Fifty years ago there were protests when a Catholic became mayor in the town of my birth. He was acknowledged to be a fine town councillor, but the idea of a Catholic leader was, to some, almost treason.

Young men went to France, to the Douai seminary, and returned to this island to minister to Catholics, knowing they risked martyrdom.

I rejoice that a former Prime Minister has acknowledged the One True Faith, and is free to attend Holy Mass in our mother Cathedral at Westminster.

Quote:
 
I rejoice that a former Prime Minister has acknowledged the One True Faith,


Has he in fact done that Rose, or has he become a "pick and mix Catholic" from day one. Having been instrumental in very public demonstrations of legislation, which were totally opposed to Catholic moral teaching I think we have every right to be sceptical.
I for one will only "jump for joy" at Blair's conversion when I find out he has realised how wrong he was in supporting such immoral legislation.

Truth is still the truth even if no one believes it. Error is still error even if everyone believes it.
(Archbishop Fulton Sheen)
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Rose of York
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I can understand why some have reservations about the conversion of a former Prime Minister who supported legislation that is contrary to Catholic teaching.

Who knows what Mr Blair might say in the near future? I eagerly wait media interviews with our new Catholic.
Keep the Faith!

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Derekap
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I look forward to his answers to "awkward questions".
Derekap
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Rose of York
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Here is the BBC report.

Link

Auntie BBC, time honoured guardian of The Queen's English, can't spell our Cardinal's name correctly. Oh well, maybe Auntie is confused by Irish names.

Quote:
 
Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Conner, who led the service on Friday in which Mr Blair became Catholic, said he was "very glad" to welcome him.


:rofl:
Keep the Faith!

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Michaeljohn

In defence of Blair the politician as opposed to Blair the man, the Prime Minister is properly recognised in the British constitution as primus inter pares. He is also by use and custom bound to the principle of Cabinet responsibility and as the nominal head of the government has some obligation to support publicly the decisions it makes.
You can always argue that he perhaps ought to have resigned but that is a different argument. For as long as he remained Prime Minister he was locked into the government system whether he liked what was being done or not.
As for being a "pick 'n' mix" Catholic it would perhaps be overly cynical to suggest that if he were to be he would probably feel quite at home with the majority of modern Catholics including, perhaps even especially, some members of the hierarchy. :)
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saundthorp

Michaeljohn
Dec 22 2007, 02:50 PM
In defence of Blair the politician as opposed to Blair the man, the Prime Minister is properly recognised in the British constitution as primus inter pares. He is also by use and custom bound to the principle of Cabinet responsibility and as the nominal head of the government has some obligation to support publicly the decisions it makes.
You can always argue that he perhaps ought to have resigned but that is a different argument. For as long as he remained Prime Minister he was locked into the government system whether he liked what was being done or not.
As for being a "pick 'n' mix" Catholic it would perhaps be overly cynical to suggest that if he were to be he would probably feel quite at home with the majority of modern Catholics including, perhaps even especially, some members of the hierarchy. :)

Michaeljohn,

Blair always had the option of abstaining but he doesn't seem to have done even that :o
Truth is still the truth even if no one believes it. Error is still error even if everyone believes it.
(Archbishop Fulton Sheen)
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Michaeljohn

I'm not sure, saundthorp, I'm really not sure.
Does the option of abstaining exist for a Prime Minister? Can he distance himself from the decisions of his Cabinet, because that is what it means? He may well have voted against in Cabinet but once the decision is made he's stuck with it.
As I pointed out you can ask that he resign and maybe that's what he should have done.
I'm afraid we are in era of "pick 'n' mix" religion. I worry that not only will Blair not see his decisions as incompatible with Church teaching but that his parish priest and perhaps also his bishop may prefer not to challenge that misunderstanding.
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CARLO
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Welcome Michaeljohn and thanks for your most sensible posting above.

Let us please abstain from the all too prevalent tendency of UK Catholics to rend their garments and gnash their teeth at anything that is not 'bad news' for the Faith.

This is good news.

Let us give our former Prime Minister a clean sheet and take things from here.

Te Deum laudamus
To God be praise


CARLO
Judica me Deus
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Rose of York
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I wonder if Mr and Mrs Blair will be joining us on here.

Posted Image
Keep the Faith!

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Gerard

The way I see it is that we are all on a journey - a pilgrimage (St Paul called it a race). It takes a lifetime. Tony Blair just passed a milestone. Its a work in progress. As it is for all of us.

Also, he is the highest profile in a lengthening list of high profile people to come into the Catholic Church in very recent years. This will help in the evangelisation of many people.

Gerry
"The institutional and charismatic aspects are quasi coessential to the Church's constitution" (Pope John Paul II, 1998).
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Clare
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Putting the "Fun Dame" into Fundamentalist
saundthorp
Dec 22 2007, 02:06 PM
Quote:
 
I rejoice that a former Prime Minister has acknowledged the One True Faith,


Has he in fact done that Rose, or has he become a "pick and mix Catholic" from day one.

Imagine you're a priest confronted by a potential convert.

You say, "In order to become a Catholic, you must believe X, Y, and Z."

He says, "Well, my wife's a Catholic, and she doesn't!"

:blink:

Whatever, welcome to the Church, Tony! :)
S.A.G.

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Em.

We put up with him for 10 years (?) and we have to put up with him in heaven? is there something that we can do? :wacko:
Divine Mercy
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