Tony Blair to become a Roman Catholic

[deiseach]

I can understand why Blair didn't convert, as Britain is unique in having a state religion and both the church and government are intertwined.

Hardly unique

List of state-established religions

Always makes me chuckle to see bastions of progress like Norway and Denmark on this list while the backward Micks have never had an official religion.

Mrs d is quite insistent that it would be a very big deal for many people in England to have a Papist as PM. The mere fact that Blair is waiting until now to talk about it in public should tell us that it is an issue.

[Bord na Mona man]

Hardly unique

List of state-established religions

There's a big difference between having an official religion and having a religion that is a de-facto arm of the state itself. The governments or monarchies of Andorra, Argentina etc. have little input say in how Rome runs itself.

If Communists did religion, I reckon they would adopted England's model of nationalised religion. I wonder what the religious equivalent of Yugo, Lada, Skoda would have been in Eastern Europe. 

[deiseach]

There's a big difference between having an official religion and having a religion that is a de-facto arm of the state itself. The governments or monarchies of Andorra, Argentina etc. have little input say in how Rome runs itself.

Well, according to the always-open-to-challenge source that is Wikipedia, the Church of Norway

is subject to legislation and budgeting passed by the Norwegian parliament, Stortinget and its central administrative functions is carried out by the Royal Ministry of Culture and Church Affairs.

Anecdotally, this describes a degree of control which far exceeds that which the British state exercises over the Church of England.

[Solomon Kane]

Mrs d is quite insistent that it would be a very big deal for many people in England to have a Papist as PM. The mere fact that Blair is waiting until now to talk about it in public should tell us that it is an issue.

Perhaps an issue for Blair rather than anyone else? It was argued in the press lately that Blair was holding off on his conversion because of the Northern Ireland Peace process, as a becoming a RC may have weakened his position with Paisley with whom he has a close reationship. It must be added however that in the article there were absolutely no quotations from anyone.

This is an even bigger non-story than the Kyle Lafferty to Celtic thread because it has not happened, and may not, although I suspect it will. That, and a persons religious beliefs are entirely their own matter.

[Bord na Mona man]

There's a big difference between having an official religion and having a religion that is a de-facto arm of the state itself. The governments or monarchies of Andorra, Argentina etc. have little input say in how Rome runs itself.

Well, according to the always-open-to-challenge source that is Wikipedia, the Church of Norway

is subject to legislation and budgeting passed by the Norwegian parliament, Stortinget and its central administrative functions is carried out by the Royal Ministry of Culture and Church Affairs.

Anecdotally, this describes a degree of control which far exceeds that which the British state exercises over the Church of England.

There's a much better example of an equivalent state church. Though it's doubtful that the Norwegians have the same historical hang ups about any particular religion.

[J70]

Britain is latently intolerant, but Catholicism is the "one true faith".

[SammyG]

That story is nearly 3 years old FFS.

It may be 3 years old, but it shows how untolerant the British people really are when he couldnt become a Catholic while in the job.

Exactly.Thats what i meant by posting it

What a load of bollix. The current Cabinet has people from all denominations and none, nobody gives a fcuk either way, The only reason that Blair didn't convert, while in office, was simply that as Aliistair Campbell famously said 'they don't do relegion'.

[magickingdom]

Utter bullshit. For all it's faults Britain is one of the most tolerant nations in the world. It is all but nominally secular, there are openly gay cabinet members and a diverse mix of religions sitting in both houses of parliament. Even during the height of the troubles there were Irish republican marches in England and Scotland. The antiquated positions of nobility are little more than nominal now. Charles Kennedy is a practicing catholic and do you believe for one second that it was his religious beliefs that stopped him from becoming PM?

I'm not even going to compare those attitudes to those held in Northern Ireland or the Irish Republic, but bear in mind how Obama had to explain away his early years as a Muslim.

what tripe. the head of britain cannot marry outside the protestant faith but you conveniently blow over that fact in "it is all but nominally secular". while i completely agree with the fact that the british public are among the most tolerant in the world secularism is a binary thing and while the british state is institutionally tied to the protestant monarchy it cannot call itself secular..