BRITAIN: The British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, yesterday dismissed speculation that he was converting to Catholicism.
The denial follows reports that Mr Blair, an Anglican, had expressed an interest in joining his wife, Cherie, and their four children in the Roman Catholic faith.
It was sparked by remarks made by Father Timothy Russ, the priest who presides over Communion at Chequers.
Father Russ was reported as saying: "If you ask me, 'do you think he wants to become a Catholic', I would say yes." He said Mr Blair had even asked him: "Can the Prime Minister of Britain be a Catholic?"
However, yesterday, during a visit to Hungary, Mr Blair dismissed the claim.
"I am saying no. Don't they run this once a year? I think they do. Every year I get this. My wife is a Roman Catholic."
In the run-up to war with Iraq, Mr Blair had a private audience with the Pope in the Vatican, and regularly worships at Catholic churches with his family.
Father Russ later appeared to be backing away from his earlier comments. He said the Prime Minister had scarcely attended his church in recent years, and he did not believe that conversion was something he was actively thinking about.
Father Russ told BBC radio: "I don't think his mind is on that matter. I think his mind is probably, quite rightly, on other matters, like foreign affairs and Heaven knows what."
He said that, given the additional security concerns following September 11th, he had not seen much of the Prime Minister in the past three years.
While there is no constitutional bar on Mr Blair converting, Father Russ said he believed it would cause problems. "You have got the whole Northern Ireland thing for one."
He added that the process was probably too time-consuming to be combined with the duties of 10 Downing Street.