Newman’s Elevation as Doctor of the Church: a gift for our times

Pope Leo XIV’s decision to proclaim St. John Henry Newman the 38th Doctor of the Universal Church will help bring the 19th-century English saint’s teachings to a world in great need of them and at a time when England appears to be at the beginning of a Catholic revival. “This is going to do so much good, dare I say, in the modern world of today because of Newman’s ideas,” Oratorian Father Ignatius Harrison said. “I think this has come at just the right time. I see it as providential.” The news came after the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales had formally petitioned Pope Francis to confer the title in May 2024. The initiative was strongly supported by other bishops’ conferences, including those of the United States, Ireland, and Scotland, as well as many academic institutions and religious communities worldwide.