Photo of John Henry Newman (Credit : Herbert Rose Barraud, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
CT News
Sep 29 : Pope Leo XIV announced on Sunday , 28th Sept. 2025 that he will proclaim St. John Henry Newman a doctor of the Church on Nov. 1, the solemnity of All Saints. The pope announced this after celebrating Mass for the Jubilee of Catechists in St. Peter’s Square.
With the proclamation, Newman will become the 38th doctor of the Church. He is especially noted for his insights on the development of doctrine and the role of conscience.
About the Title
In the Church’s 2,000-year history, only 37 other saints, including four women, have been given the title of doctor. The title is granted in recognition of an already canonized saint’s significant contribution to advancing the Church’s knowledge of doctrine, theology, or spirituality.
About the Saint
Born in London and baptized into the Church of England in 1801, Newman was a popular and respected Anglican priest, theologian, and writer among his peers prior to his conversion to Catholicism.
In 1845, Newman asked his friend Blessed Dominic Barberi, an Italian Passionist priest living in England, to receive him into the Catholic Church.
He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1847 and later made a cardinal by Pope Leo XIII in 1879. He chose the motto “Cor ad cor loquitur” (“Heart speaks to heart”) as an expression of his conversion in his own heart, through the heart of God.
As a Catholic, Newman deepened and contributed to the Church’s teaching, thanks to his broad knowledge of theology and his keen insight into modern times, grounded in the Gospel.
His body of work includes 40 books and more than 20,000 letters.
Newman died in Edgbaston, England, in 1890. He was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on Sept. 19, 2010, and canonized by Pope Francis on Oct. 13, 2019.
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