- 01 August, 2025
Vatican City, August 1, 2025: St. John Henry Newman is set to be proclaimed a Doctor of the Church, following Pope Leo XIV’s confirmation of the Plenary Session of Cardinals and Bishops’ affirmative opinion. The decision was announced in a statement issued by the Holy See Press Office on 31 July, after the Pope received Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, in a private audience.
One of the great modern thinkers of Christianity, a key figure in a spiritual and human journey that left a profound mark on the Church and 19th-century ecumenism, and the author of writings that show how living the faith is a daily “heart-to-heart” dialogue with Christ. A life spent with energy and passion for the Gospel—culminating in his canonisation in 2019—that will soon lead to the English cardinal John Henry Newman being proclaimed a Doctor of the Church.
A Brilliant Mind in Search of Truth
John Henry Newman was 32 years old when he composed his now-famous prayer Lead, Kindly Light during a return voyage from Italy—a trip that marked a deepening of his interior search for God. Born in 1801, he had already served eight years as an Anglican priest and was widely regarded as one of the most brilliant minds in his church, captivating both through preaching and writing.
The 1832 journey through Italy intensified his longing to understand divine truth. He sought to grasp the full meaning of Christ, the nature of the Church, and the legacy of the early Fathers. His spiritual reflections increasingly aligned with Catholic tradition, leading to an intellectual and spiritual transformation during his time in Oxford.
Conversion to Catholicism
In 1845, Newman gave shape to this transformation in his Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, in which he concluded that the fullness of truth resided in the Catholic Church. He was received into the Church on 8 October 1845. Reflecting on that moment, he wrote: “It was like coming into port after a rough sea; and my happiness on that score remains to this day without interruption.”
Formation and Ordination
Returning to Italy in 1846, Newman began seminary studies at the Collegio di Propaganda Fide in Rome, despite his renown as a theologian. He wrote of this time: “It is like a dream, and yet so calm, so secure, so happy, as if it were the fulfilment of a long hope, and the beginning of a new life.” He was ordained a Catholic priest on 30 May 1847.
During this period, he developed a deep affection for St. Philip Neri. Encouraged by Blessed Pope Pius IX, Newman returned to England and founded the Birmingham Oratory, dedicated to the saint whose cheerful spirit and love for souls Newman shared.
Pastor, Writer, Cardinal
Though Newman faced many challenges in building Catholic institutions in England, he remained steadfast, producing theological and pastoral writings that defended the Church against criticism. His intellectual brilliance was matched by a warm pastoral heart.
In 1879, Pope Leo XIII elevated him to the rank of cardinal. Upon receiving the news, Newman wept, saying, “The cloud is lifted forever.” He continued his apostolic work with passion until his death on 11 August 1890. His chosen epitaph, Ex umbris et imaginibus in Veritatem—“From shadows and images into the Truth”—captured the journey of his life.
Legacy of the Heart
Pope Benedict XVI beatified Newman in 2010, honouring him as a man of profound prayer and pastoral charity. In 2019, Pope Francis canonised him, pointing to his personal motto Cor ad cor loquitur—“Heart speaks to heart”—as a reflection of his intimate relationship with Christ. In his encyclical Dilexit nos, Pope Francis noted that Newman, though a distinguished intellectual, recognised that the deepest truths were not grasped by reason alone, but encountered in prayerful, heart-to-heart dialogue with Christ—especially in the Eucharist.
Courtesy: Vatican News
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