Over at Open Book, Amy has posted an intriguing picture of Tony Blair and Pope Benedict, from their meeting today.

The Prime Minister presented the pontiff with a series of pictures of…John Henry Newman. A curious choice, you say?

The Catholic Encyclopedia describes Newman thus:

Cardinal-Deacon of St. George in Velabro, divine, philosopher, man of letters, leader of the Tractarian Movement, and the most illustrious of English converts to the Church.

If Blair wants to throw cold water on all those conversion rumors, he’s not doing a good job of it.