As Ron Ferguson points out, Tony Blair is a man of blood with the deaths of hundreds of thousands to his account. He has shown sign of neither remorse nor repentance for his crimes. Indeed, he fantasises that he is an acceptably neutral peacemaker in the Middle East between those whose societies have been destroyed by violence and those who have so destroyed them. He is so delusional that he has no conception of his errors. Still, any decision as to whether he should receive Holy Communion in the Roman Catholic Church must (in the first instance) be a matter for the bishop in whose diocese he chooses to present himself.
However, it might not be amiss to point out that a similar situation occurred in 390 AD when, after the massacre at Thessaloniki, the emperor Theodosius sought to receive Holy Communion and the scandalised Bishop Ambrose sent him away with a flea in his ear and the instruction to imitate David in his repentance as he had imitated him in his guilt. When Theodosius eventually returned after seven months' penitence, he was on his knees. But then, Theodosius was capable of remorse.
Brian D Finch, 56 Fingal Street (0/2), Maryhill, Glasgow.
Ron Ferguson has put into words what has been in the minds of many Catholics since it was revealed that the late, unlamented Prime Minister was inclined to join their Church. To date, there has been no open statement, understandably, by the Church on this matter since it is private by nature. None the less, there has been speculation, and while Ron Ferguson, being "a proddy minister", may feel reticent about commenting, I feel no such reticence as a Catholic in so doing.
If Mr Blair wishes to become a Catholic he will be welcome, but he will have to be like other members of that Church in meeting its requirements. This would be an obligation to acknowledge the wrong-doings of his past, show true contrition for such errors and promise to endeavour to avoid repetition.
For a man who has refused to accept that he was wrong to go to war in Iraq, who has consistently swept aside all criticism of his policies, who has refused to meet relatives of soldiers killed as a result of his decisions, while going out of his way to meet "celebrities" (ie, participants in Big Brother shows), meeting the Church's requirements would be such that even the most sceptical of "proddies" would hail his acceptance as a miracle.
T J Dowds, 22 Lammermmor Drive, Greenfaulds, Cumbernauld.
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