Tony Blair is to convert to Roman Catholicism within weeks, a Catholic magazine reported today.
Britain's former prime minister, whose wife Cherie and four children are Catholic, has long been expected to join the church after quitting Downing Street.
According to the Tablet,his to be received into the church shortly by Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor.
Mr Blair is thought to have delayed converting until after leaving Number 10 because of the potential constitutional complications of a Catholic prime minister.
He was also advised to avoid religion in public by former chief media adviser Alastair Campbell, who famously commented: "We don't do God."
Mr Blair, who has been a Middle East peace envoy since resigning, has received a mixed response this week in China, where he has been employed in speaking engagements. Local media have raised questions about the cost of his speeches and their value for money.
The Guangzhou Daily Newsclaimed one speech, in Dongguan City, near Hong Kong, cost €340,000 - worth €225,000 to Mr Blair after tax - and described the visit as "money-raking".
PA