According to a forthcoming cover story (not yet online) in The Spectator of London, not all British Catholics are happy about former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s expected conversion to the Church of Rome, given his record on such issues as abortion, embryonic stem-cell research and civil unions.
“Having Blair as a Catholic is like having a vegetarian in a meat-eating club,” says one pro-life activist.
“Converts cannot cherry-pick which parts of the faith they agree with,” observes an unnamed former underling of the prime minister. “It’s easier for cradle Catholics to dissent, but converts have to sign up to the whole agenda.”
As to why Blair’s record has evidently not disqualified him from membership in the church, one London priest explains: “The Catholic Church in England has been working-class Irish for yonks and we’ve only become socially acceptable in the last 30 years. It can be very flattering when you’re courted by the establishment.”