[continued from previous message] 
  
 the old prejudice could still be deployed. Mr Blair probably thought he 
 could do without the extra hassle. 
  
 He has kept his personal religious views largely out of his political 
 life. Ostentatious religiosity does not go down well in Britain. He 
 dropped his wish to end a prime ministerial broadcast on the eve of the 
 Iraq invasion with the words: "God bless" on the advice of Alastair 
 Campbell, who famously told him "We don't do God". 
  
 Explainer: Becoming a Catholic 
  
 The path to purification 
  
 Converting to Catholicism is not a straightforward or easy process, as 
 Tony Blair will have realised. It takes time - though how long depends 
 on the candidate's readiness and aptitude - and is based on the 
 church's assessment of their sincerity and commitment. The process is 
 described in a 44-page document called the Rite of Christian Initiation. 
  
 When there was a rush of conversions from Anglicanism in the early 
 1990s, after the Church of England's decision to ordain women priests, 
 there was considerable murmuring among lifelong Catholics that the 
 conversion of defectors such as John Gummer and Ann Widdecombe had been 
 too easily sanctioned by Cardinal Basil Hume, the leader of the 
 Catholic church in England and Wales. 
  
 That is unlikely to be the case with Mr Blair since his conversion is 
 clearly the result of a long period of consideration and is not due to a 
 particular grievance. 
  
 Adults wishing to convert undergo a period of doctrinal and spiritual 
 preparation with a priestly adviser to become catechumens, preparing for 
 admission to the church. They are no longer required to make an 
 abjuration of previous heresy but they do make a profession of faith 
 and belief that they "consciously and freely seek the living God and 
 enter the way of faith and conversion as the Holy Spirit opens their 
 hearts." 
  
 The rite says candidates are to receive help and attention, so that 
 "with a purified and clearer intention they may cooperate with God's 
 grace." 
  
 The process takes several stages of indeterminate duration: after the 
 period of evangelisation there follows acceptance into the order of 
 catechumens, then election, when the church ratifies candidates' 
 readiness. A "period of purification and enlightenment" follows, 
 usually on the eve of Easter, followed by the sacraments of initiation 
 and then catechesis as the candidates are allowed to participate fully 
 in the sacraments, such as communion. 
  
 Although conversions usually take place during the Easter period and in 
 public ceremonies, this need not necessarily be the case if there are 
 special circumstances - which the church could probably find for a 
 former prime minister. 
  
  
  
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