A MARRIED former Anglican bishop who led the protest against the ordination of women priests may make history by becoming a Roman Catholic cardinal.

Two former Cabinet ministers are backing the move to give Graham Leonard, who was the Bishop of London, the highest honour the Vatican can bestow. If Pope Benedict XVI backs the idea, it would be the most significant promotion for an Anglican convert since John Henry Newman was made a cardinal in 1879.

In 2000 Pope John Paul II awarded one of the highest Catholic honours — the honorific title of the Right Rev Mgr — to Father Leonard, 84, who led many other priests out of the Anglican fold. In 1995 he had become a Catholic priest after being an Anglican bishop for more than 30 years.

John Gummer, a former Conservative Cabinet minister, who, like Mgr Leonard, converted to Rome over the ordination of women, is supporting the move and Paul Murphy, who stood down as the Northern Ireland Secretary after the 2005 election, has written to Francis Campbell, Britain’s newly appointed Ambassador to the Holy See, to canvass support.

Mr Murphy, who is a papal knight, said: “Like Newman before him, Mgr Leonard is an important theological figure. He was hugely influential in the debate over the conversion to Rome. It would be a singular personal honour to make Graham Leonard a cardinal, which is why I have written to the Ambassador to the Holy See.”

As he is past the age of 80, Mgr Leonard would be disqualified from taking part in any papal elections.

There is a precedent for a married Anglican convert becoming a Roman Catholic cardinal. Henry Edward Manning, the other great convert cardinal of the 19th century, was married, but unlike Mgr Leonard he was a widower when he was called to Rome in 1875. He used to keep a photograph of his late wife under his pillow. Thomas Weld became a Catholic priest in 1818, after the death of his wife, and was made a cardinal in 1830. Mgr Leonard’s wife, Priscilla, is still alive.

The former Tory minister Ann Widdecombe, who is also a convert, has also written to Rome in support of Mgr Leonard. She said: “Graham Leonard as a bishop was the most senior in the 1992 exodus to Rome. He has worked tirelessly to promote understanding of the Catholic Church.”

Pope Benedict XVI would make the final decision on whether to make Mgr Leonard, whom he knew and admired when Mgr Leonard was Bishop of London, a cardinal. Pope John Paul II took a personal interest in Mgr Leonard’s conversion in 1992. He was received into the Roman Catholic Church by the late Cardinal Basil Hume, leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. When Mgr Leonard became a Catholic priest in 1995, the Pope invited him to Rome for a private audience.

Mgr Leonard was ordained in the diocese of Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, the Archbishop of Westminster, who succeeded Cardinal Hume. His spokesman said: “Mgr Leonard is a good friend of the Archbishop of Westminster; but whom the Pope chooses to give a red hat to is entirely his prerogative.”

Lord Alton of Liverpool, a former Liberal Democrat MP who now sits on the crossbenches in the House of Lords, is also supporting the idea of a Cardinal Leonard. He said: “The issue of his marriage should not be a difficulty.”

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