St. John Henry Newman By John Everett Millais
Pope Leo XIV confirmed plans July 31 to declare Saint John Henry Newman a Doctor of the Church, placing the English cardinal and convert among the Church’s most esteemed theological minds.
The Holy See Press Office announced the news following an audience between the Holy Father and Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, Vatican News reported.
The official statement said the Pope “confirmed the affirmative opinion of the Plenary Session of Cardinals and Bishops, Members of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, regarding the title of Doctor of the Universal Church, which will soon be conferred on Saint John Henry Newman.”
Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster and president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, responded to the announcement with enthusiasm.
“I am delighted and thrilled that Pope Leo has today announced that he will declare St John Henry Newman to be a ‘Doctor of the Church’,” he said in a press release from the conference. “This request has been before the Holy See for some time, having received declarations of support from many different parts of the world and, of particular importance, from the Bishops of the Church of England.”
“This recognition that the writings of St John Henry Newman are a true expression of the faith is of huge encouragement to all who appreciate not only his great learning but also his heroic sanctity in following the call of God in his journey of faith,” the cardinal said.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) shared the news on social media shortly after the Vatican’s announcement.
“Six years ago, Pope Francis canonized English cardinal John Henry Newman,” The USCCB posted on X. “Now, he will join the other 37 men and women who have received the title of Doctor of the Church as Pope Leo confirmed the decision in a meeting with the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints this morning.”
The bishops of the US have long shown strong support for Newman’s recognition. In 2023, they voted overwhelmingly — 240 in favor, just two opposed — to endorse the proposal from the Bishops of England and Wales. At the time, Bishop Robert Barron called the initiative “a marvelous teaching moment,” while Cardinal Sean O’Malley described the decision as “sort of a no-brainer.”
Canonized in 2019, St. John Henry Newman stands among the most influential Christian thinkers of the modern era. His spiritual journey from Anglicanism to Catholicism continues to resonate with both theologians and lay faithful.
His pivotal 1845 work, An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, expressed his conviction that the Catholic Church faithfully embodied the Church of the Fathers — living and growing through history.
That same year, he entered the Church, later writing, “It was like coming into port after a rough sea; and my happiness on that score remains to this day without interruption.”
Newman was created cardinal by Pope Leo XIII in 1879, a moment he described with emotion: “The cloud is lifted forever.”
Cardinal Newman died in 1890 at the age of 89. The inscription he chose for his tomb, Ex umbris et imaginibus in Veritatem — “From shadows and images into the Truth” — echoes the lifelong journey that now culminates in his recognition as Doctor of the Church.
