Why did Cardinal John Henry Newman become a Doctor of the Church?

What is a Doctor of the Church?

The Holy See does not provide an official definition of what a “Doctor of the Church” is. The Conference of Bishops of France explains for its part that this term is used to designate “theologians, philosophers or writers who have significantly enriched the magisterium both at the philosophical and spiritual level.”

They are therefore “reference intellectuals for the Catholic faith”. “The conditions required to become a doctor, always posthumously, are to be a canonized saint, to have developed a thought of faith in accordance with the basic principles of the Church while discovering an unexplored part of Scripture proving itself to be fundamental through its influence among the faithful and through international fame,” the episcopate further specifies.

If the title is not precisely defined, the attribution procedure is however codified by the apostolic constitution Praedicate evangeliumorganizing the Roman Curia. The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith is thus responsible for ruling – by a vote of its members – on the “eminent doctrine” of the applicant. The file is then transmitted to a second dicastery, that of the causes of saints. The latter then has the responsibility to “judge on the merits of the attribution of the title of Doctor of the Church to a saint”.

In the case of a positive judgment, it is transmitted to the Pope for his agreement. Thus, on July 31, the Vatican announced that Leo XIV “has confirmed the positive opinion” of the two dicasteries regarding the recognition of Cardinal Newman as a doctor of the Church.

When the decision is officially proclaimed on November 1, the British clergyman will become the 38th Doctor of the Church. Note that only four women have been awarded this recognition, all after Vatican II: Saints Teresa of Avila (in 1970), Catherine of Siena (in 1970), Thérèse of Lisieux (in 1997) and Hildegard of Bingen (in 2012).

Who is Cardinal Newman?

Born in 1801 in London (United Kingdom), John Henry Newman was born and raised in an Anglican family. It was also within the Church of England that this Oxford student was ordained a priest in 1825.

While studying theology and Christian doctrine, he gradually moved closer to the Catholic Church, particularly because of beliefs about the real presence and concerning the Virgin Mary – Anglicanism having a less dogmatic approach than Catholicism on these points, leaving a greater divergence of views. In the mid-1840s, he left Anglicanism to join the Catholic religion. In October 1846, he left to study in Rome, to become a priest in his new confession.

His studies did not last long, however, since he was ordained a priest in 1847 with the mission of founding a community of Oratorians in the United Kingdom. Continuing his theological work, highlighting the development of the relationship between faith and reason through education, he became involved in the debates around the first Vatican Council (1870). He was created cardinal in 1879 when he was only a priest (and not a bishop), a sign of the importance of his theological contribution. He died in England in 1890. Benedict XVI beatified him in 2010 during his apostolic visit to the United Kingdom, while he was canonized in 2019 by Pope Francis.

Why is Cardinal Newman recognized as a Doctor of the Church?

A decree detailing the reasons for Leo XIV’s choice to recognize the converted cardinal as a doctor of the Church is expected to be promulgated with the official proclamation on November 1. However, at the time of his beatification in 2010, Benedict XVI already praised the qualities of Cardinal Newman’s contribution to Catholic theology.

“His intuitions on the relationship between faith and reason, on the vital place of revealed religion in civilized society, and on the need for an approach to education which is broad in its foundations and open to broad perspectives were not only of capital importance for England of the Victorian era, but they continue to inspire and enlighten many people throughout the world,” the German pope declared at the time. Nine years later, during the canonization mass, Pope Francis saluted the contribution of Saint Newman in understanding “holiness in everyday life.”