St John Henry Newman to be 38th Doctor of the Church

On July 31, Pope Leo received in audience Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, reported EWTN Vatican. During the meeting, the “positive opinion of the Dicastery’s Plenary Session” was confirmed, meaning that St John Henry Newman will be proclaimed a Doctor of the Universal Church.

A Doctor of the Church is a person whose teachings on the Catholic Faith through their writing, study or research has been deemed of great significance to the Church and to the Faith.

Along with making a significant theological contribution, the person must also display a high degree of sanctity, which is why all Doctors of the Church are also canonised saints. The third requirement is formal proclamation by a pope or an ecumenical council.

St John Henry Newman, who will become the 38th Doctor of the Church, holds a particularly special place in English Catholicism due to his intellect and prodigious writings.

“The announcement that St John Henry Newman will become a Doctor of the Catholic Church will fill the hearts of English Catholics with so much joy,” said Archbishop John Wilson of Southwark.

“It will also be welcomed by Catholics around the world for whom St John Henry is an inspiring theologian and apologist for the Catholic Faith.

“For all his enormous intellect and learning, St John Henry above all lived the humility of a disciple, with a passion for truth. His life shines as an example of what it means to be a true follower of Christ.

“If we want to grow in holiness, if we are passionate to find the truth and walk in his ways, we first need to humble ourselves before the Lord Jesus, just as St John Henry did. His towering intellect brought him to seek Christ ‘heart to heart’. May this soon to be new Doctor of the Church teach us to do the same.”

After his canonisation in 2019 by Pope Francis, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales formally petitioned the Pope to name St John Henry Newman a Doctor of the Church. That move was supported by the bishops conferences of the United States, Ireland and Scotland.

FULL STORY

Pope Leo to make St John Henry Newman a Doctor of the Church (Catholic Herald)

Church in Britain hopes country’s latest Doctor of the Church will help inspire Catholics (Catholic Herald)