Pope to name Newman Doctor of the Church on All Saints’ Day

Pope Leo XIV has announced that he will declare St John Henry Newman a Doctor of the Church on 1 November, during celebrations for the Jubilee of the World of Education.

The announcement was made on 28 September in St Peter’s Square at the conclusion of Mass for the Jubilee of Catechists. Right before the Angelus, the Pope said: “I have the joy of announcing that on 1 November, in the context of the Jubilee of World Education, I will confer the title of Doctor of the Church on Saint John Henry Newman.”

Prior to the announcement, in the Pope’s homily delivered to tens of thousands gathered in the square, he reflected on the parable of Lazarus and the rich man from the Gospel of St Luke.

The Holy Father spoke of how Lazarus, forgotten at the gates of the wealthy, was remembered by God. The Holy Father warned that “many Lazaruses” exist today, suffering amid greed, injustice and indifference, and he urged the faithful to rediscover charity as the root of authentic Christian witness. Faith, he said, is not a private possession but a gift handed down through testimony and love.

The Pope used the occasion to highlight the vocation of catechists as “living echoes” of the faith. Drawing on the origins of the word itself, from the Greek katēchein, he stressed that catechesis must not be reduced to instruction alone but should be a personal encounter that leaves an indelible mark on the heart.

Parents, he reminded the faithful, are the first catechists, passing on the language of faith to their children in the home. In recalling St Augustine, he insisted that catechesis must inspire belief, hope and love.

Making the announcement, His Holiness pointed to Newman’s profound contribution to a renewed theological vision and his seminal insights into the development of Christian doctrine, which have shaped Catholic thought far beyond the nineteenth century.

Newman’s legacy has long stood at the heart of modern Catholic identity in Britain. His writings on conscience, faith and the organic growth of doctrine have resonated deeply within the universal Church, influencing the Second Vatican Council and the teaching that followed.

John Henry Newman was born in London in 1801 and was a leading figure of the Oxford Movement before his conversion to Catholicism in 1845. Ordained a Catholic priest in 1847, he was later created cardinal by Pope Leo XIII in 1879. His major works, including An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine and The Idea of a University, continue to be widely studied. He died in 1890 and was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI in Birmingham in 2010, before his canonisation by Pope Francis in 2019.

Having founded the Birmingham Oratory in 1848, there are now seven established Oratorian communities or Oratories-in-formation across the United Kingdom. With more brothers in training for the priesthood than any diocese in the country, they are a beacon of Catholic revival. 

For English Catholics, the announcement carries particular significance. Newman, who was canonised in 2019, becomes the first modern English saint to receive the honour, affirming not only his theological genius but also the enduring contribution of English Catholicism to the wider Church.

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