Here's a thing, though - about fifty years ago, there was a notable court case in Northern Ireland which touched on precisely how one becomes a Catholic. A wealthy Colonel had left money to his son on condition that he never became a Catholic; however, following the second world war, he did just that. There was a strong suggestion that he had delayed his formal conversion until after his mother had died - and it was stated in court by a senior theologian from the main Catholic seminary in Ireland that if one sincerely wishes communion with the Catholic Church but delays formal conversion for reasons of expediency, one has effectively excommunicated oneself.

(ponders)
(plots)