THE Catholic Church is losing congregations by alienating women and failing to give them a public role, Cherie Blair said last night.
Church leaders must modernise the role of women in order to halt the decline in church attendance, she said.
Mrs Blair, herself a Catholic, said: "One of the fundamental weaknesses of modern Christianity is its ambivalence to women, and particula
rly for Catholicism.
"Until the traditional churches fully resolve their relationship with the female half of the population, how can they expect Christianity to have a future in the modern world?
"Traditionally, it was women who passed religion on to their children and who kept the Church going through good times and bad, but when it comes to the public face of Christianity, women are virtually invisible."
Her remarks were part of Christianity: A History – The Future of Christianity – a documentary she presented last night on Channel 4.
Mrs Blair said Christians were "often being marginalised and faith is something few people like to discuss openly".
She and former US first lady Laura Bush discussed the impact of their husbands' religious beliefs on their political careers and rubbished claims that the two men would pray together.
Mrs Blair also spoke to Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, about the role of women in the Church.
She said: "If you actually look at the formal structures of the Catholic Church, you don't see a woman's face when you see people speaking for the Catholic Church. Can we change that?"
The Cardinal responded: "Now, I don't think that will develop towards priesthood or episcopacy because of the tradition of the Church in that role, but I do see that the roles and the gifts of women being, not just appreciated, but used more fully."
But Mrs Blair said: "I firmly believe the traditional churches in Western Europe can be saved but there are a number of urgent steps that need to be taken.
"Down the centuries, women have formed the backbone of faith communities but their public role has reflected the culture of the time.
"Today, while women remain marginalised, Christianity cannot flourish. Women and men must be equal partners in 21st-century Christianity."
She said that former US president George Bush "faced widespread criticism" for his religious convictions.
She added: "It's a very fine tightrope, this division between religion and public life, and it can lead to assumptions and unfair criticisms about the motivation and reason why politicians take the decisions they do, and people then taking from that that somehow you're saying, 'Everything I do is justified by God'."
Mrs Bush said her husband was "open about the role of faith in his life" but that he never "thought God told him things", as some people had claimed.
Mrs Blair also revealed that every time she did not use contraception, "I seemed to have a baby" in a discussion about the Church's attitude to birth control and abortion.
She said: "How could I have done all the things I have done if I hadn't used contraception?"
• The programme is broadcast tonight at 7pm.
Pope given a formal invitation to visit ScotlandA FORMAL invitation has been issued to the Pope to make the first papal visit to Scotland in almost 30 years, it emerged yesterday.
Jim Murphy, the Scottish Secretary, said he had spoken to the Prime Minister about a Scottish visit by Pope Benedict XVI (pictured below), after Gordon Brown invited the Pope to the UK during a meeting at the Vatican.
Mr Murphy said it would be for the Vatican, Downing Street, and Buckingham Palace to work out the details of any papal visit, but that the feedback so far has been "positive".
He added: "I spoke to the Prime Minister about it on Monday on the back of it and said as part of the UK visit a visit to Scotland, I think, would be appreciated by Scots."
Pope John Paul II made a six-day trip to the UK in 1982, which included a Mass in Bellahouston Park in Glasgow attended by about 300,000 people.
The date of any UK visit is not clear, according to Mr Murphy, although the Prime Minister has said the pontiff could visit as soon as he wanted. But the 81-year-old Pope is due to visit Cameroon and Angola later this month, with a trip to Israel planned for later in the year.
