Blair gives Pope portrait of Catholic convert

Students of symbolism raised their eyebrows yesterday when it emerged that Tony Blair's gift to the Pope at the end of their meeting in Rome was a signed photograph of Cardinal Newman, Britain's most famous convert to Catholicism. The present will do nothing to dampen speculation about the Prime Minister's own potential conversion after he leaves office this week.

The Holy See's response, however, was to gently rap the Prime Minister on the knuckles in a statement about British legislation obliging Catholic adoption agencies to accept homosexual parents.

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Pope Benedict welcomed Mr Blair and his wife Cherie in the library of his private apartment in the Apostolic Palace for a private audience. "Thank you so much for receiving me," Mr Blair, looking moved, said to the Pope.

The mood was relaxed, cordial and chatty as the Pope invited Mr Blair to be seated for a photo session before they held 25 minutes of private talks.

Watched by a pool of reporters from the Vatican press corps, Mr Blair presented the Pope with three original portrait photographs of Cardinal Newman. The leading light of the Oxford Movement is still an icon for English Catholics and was one of the nation's most illustrious converts.

One of the photographs was signed by Cardinal Newman. "Holy Father, that is his signature," Mrs Blair told the Pope.

The pontiff gave Mr Blair a gold medallion recording his pontificate, in a white presentation box.

After their private talks, Mr Blair and the Pope were joined by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, head of the Catholic Church in England, for a further 10 minutes of talks.

Mr Blair also had a meeting with the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, effectively the prime minister of the Pope's tiny city state.

After the audience the Blairs had lunch at the Venerable English College in Rome, the seminary for young English men training for the priesthood. It produced a number of martyrs who were executed in England during the Reformation.