Pope Leo names Saint John Henry Newman as 38th Doctor of the Church

Pope Leo XIV named Saint John Henry Newman a doctor of the Church. Newman was a tremendous writer, theologian and poet. His involvement with the Oxford movement likely lead to his conversion to Catholicism.

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Pope Leo names Saint John Henry Newman as 38th Doctor of the Church

As reported today on the Vatican News website, Pope Leo XIV has approved naming Saint John Henry Newman as the 38th Doctor of the Church. In an audience with Cardinal Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, Pope Leo XIV confirmed the the “affirmative opinion” of the Plenary Session of Cardinals and Bishops, Members of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.

Saint John Henry Newman was a journey of conversion. Influenced by Evangelical Calvinism, he became an Anglican, and then later a convert to Catholicism. His interests and accomplishments were many. He was a theologian, academic, philosopher, historian, writer, and poet. He was drawn to high church Anglicanism, seeking to restore liturgical texts removed during the English Reformation.

Newman was a member of the influential Oxford movement. According to Amy Weber, “The Oxford Movement was a significant religious revival within the Church of England that emerged in the 1830s, primarily driven by a group of theologians and clergy known as the Tractarians, including notable figures like John Henry Newman, Edward Pusey, and John Keble. This movement sought to reaffirm the Church of England’s connection to Roman Catholic traditions, emphasizing doctrines such as the Incarnation and the sacraments. Its inception is often marked by Keble’s famous Assize Sermon in 1833, which criticized the increasing secularization of the Anglican Church and the liberalization of Parliament.

The movement arose during a period of social and political change, as new laws expanded religious toleration and voting rights, leading to fears among its leaders about the future of Anglicanism. Through a series of pamphlets known as “Tracts for the Times,” the leaders advocated for a return to traditional rituals and a more sacramental view of faith. While the Oxford Movement influenced Anglican worship and increased attention to the needs of the working class, it also sparked controversy, leading to tensions with both the broader Anglican community and the Catholic Church.

As the movement progressed, many of its leaders, including Newman, eventually transitioned to Roman Catholicism, which marked a decline in the Oxford Movement’s influence by the mid-19th century. Despite its waning, the movement’s legacy includes a lasting emphasis on liturgical practices and social responsibility within the Church of England.”

Newman was also a literary figure: his major writings include the Tracts for the Times(1833–1841), his autobiography Apologia Pro Vita Sua (1864), the Grammar of Assent(1870), and the poem The Dream of Gerontius (1865), which was set to music in 1900 by Edward Elgar. He wrote the popular hymns “Lead, Kindly Light”, “Firmly I believe, and truly”, and “Praise to the Holiest in the Height” (the latter two taken from Gerontius).

Newman became a Catholic in 1845, was ordained a Catholic priest in 1846, and named a cardinal by Pope Leo XIII in 1878. Named a blessed Pope Benedict XVI 2010, he was canonized in 2019 by Pope Francis. His feast day is October 9.

Pope Leo names Saint John Henry Newman as 38th Doctor of the Church 4

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