The first English saint of this millennium, John Henry Newman, is to be bestowed an even higher honour by Pope Leo XIV.
John Henry Newman was born in 1801, and died in 1890. In 2019, he was canonised by Pope Francis.
Now, he will be made a Doctor of the Church – an honour given to saints who have “made an outstanding contribution to knowledge of the faith,” according to the Catholic Church of England and Wales.
John studied at Trinity College, Oxford, before first training as an Anglican priest. Controversially, he converted to Roman Catholicism in 1845.
He is best known for his extensive theological writings, which the Archbishop of Westminster has described as “a true expression of the faith of the Church.”
Archbishop Vincent Nichols said he is “delighted and thrilled” by the Pope’s decision.
John Newman is the first English saint in hundreds of years; the last English saints to be canonised were the Forty Martyrs, who were executed under Reformation laws during the 16th and 17th Centuries.