St John Henry Newman To Be Doctor of the Church

At least, St John Henry Newman was a Catholic, unlike Gregory of Narek, the schismatic heretic whom Francis declared a Doctor of the Church.

From Aleteia

By I. Media

Pope Leo has approved the recognition of the first Doctor of the Church of his pontificate.

He is the first Doctor of the Church to be proclaimed by Leo XIV, less than three months after his election. His predecessor, Pope Francis, conferred this title twice during his pontificate: to Gregory of Narek in 2015 and to Saint Irenaeus of Lyon in 2022. Benedict XVI also proclaimed two new Doctors: Saint Hildegard of Bingen and Saint John of Avila, in 2012.

By decision of Pope Leo XIV, British Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890), an Anglican intellectual who converted to Catholicism, will soon be proclaimed "Doctor of the Church," the Holy See Press Office announced on July 31, 2025.

This rare and prestigious title — currently held by 37 saints — is granted to figures in the Catholic Church who have made a major theological and spiritual contribution to doctrine. 

During an audience on Thursday with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Pope Leo approved a vote by the congregation in favor of proclaiming Cardinal Newman a Doctor of the Church. The brief note does not give further details on the date of the proclamation or the reasons for this distinction. 

Cardinal Newman

Born in London on February 21, 1801, John Henry Newman was the eldest of six children. After studying at Oxford University, he was ordained a deacon in the Anglican Church in 1824 and a priest a year later. In 1828, he became parish priest of St. Mary the Virgin, the university church of Oxford.

In 1833, Newman published the first of the Tracts for the Times, inaugurating a series of theological publications that spread the ideas of what would become known as the "Oxford Movement." This movement sought to bring the Church of England closer to its Roman Catholic roots, denouncing the excesses of the Anglican Communion.

Newman's criticism of Anglicanism was inspired in particular by St. Augustine (354-430) and his struggle against the "Donatist" heretics. 

In 1841, Tract 90, which sought to affirm that the ecclesiological identity of the Church of England was more Catholic than Protestant, was censored by Oxford University and the Bishop of Oxford had its publication suspended. 

Conversion to Catholicism

In 1843, John Henry Newman resigned his position as parish priest. On October 9, 1845, he was received into the Catholic Church by Father Domenico Barberi, an Italian Passionist priest. Then, on November 1, Cardinal Nicholas Wiseman gave him the sacrament of confirmation in Oscott.

In 1846, Newman left England for Rome and entered the Congregation of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri, where he was ordained a Catholic priest on May 30, 1847. A year later, he founded the first English Oratory near Birmingham. From 1851 to 1858, he was rector of the Catholic University of Dublin (Ireland).

Ostracized by the Anglican and Protestant society of his country after his conversion, he wrote his Apologia pro vita sua in 1864 in response to an attack on his personal integrity by the British Anglican priest Charles Kingsley (1819-1875). The work, considered a biography of great intellectual scope, was a spectacular success, largely rehabilitating its author in the eyes of the English public. 

In May 1879, John Henry Newman was created cardinal by Leo XIII — while he was still a simple priest; he would never be ordained bishop. He died on August 11, 1890, in Edgbaston, near Birmingham.

Beatified by Benedict XVI and canonized by Francis 

The process for Cardinal Newman's canonization was opened in 1958. John Paul II declared him "venerable" in 1991. Then Benedict XVI, who had a personal attachment to this intellectual, insisted on celebrating his beatification himself — a liturgy that the pope usually delegates to a cardinal — on September 19, 2010, on a trip to Birmingham. 

In his homily, the German pope paid tribute to "his insights into the relationship between faith and reason, and the vital place of revealed religion in civilized society." He also praised his concept of education, which has had a great influence on Catholic schools and colleges today. Newman Centers are a part of universities all over the United States, as a place for Catholic students to gather for Mass and study.

Pope Francis then canonized him on October 13, 2019. The teachings of Cardinal Newman, a fervent supporter of lay education, inspired the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). The Briton is also considered a great apostle of ecumenism. 

The 38th Doctor of the Church 

With this new Doctor, the Catholic Church now has 38 Doctors, including four women.