Blair to meet Pope on farewell visit June 23-source

VATICAN CITY, June 12 (Reuters) British Prime Minister Tony Blair is expected to make a farewell visit to Pope Benedict on June 23, a Vatican source said today.

The visit is likely to refuel speculation that Blair, who is Anglican, may convert to Roman Catholicism after he steps down on June 27. Blair's wife Cherie is a practising Catholic.

For years there has been speculation in the British media that Blair might convert to Catholicism when he leaves office but British officials say the prime minister's faith is a private matter.

The outgoing prime minister is believed to have taken communion from the late Pope John Paul during a visit to the Vatican in 2003. The Vatican has never confirmed this.

REUTERS RKM KP1716