Cardinal John Henry Newman will be made a saint by Pope Francis during a ceremony in Rome attended by the Prince of Wales.
The canonisation of the influential 19th century figure has been hailed by Britain’s ambassador to the Holy See as an important moment in the UK’s relationship with the Vatican.
Prince Charles will lead the UK’s representation at the open-air ceremony in St Peter’s Square, where Pope Francis will declare the cardinal a saint in front of 20,000 pilgrims, the first English saint of the modern age.
He is also due to meet Pope Francis and is later expected to make a speech paying tribute to Cardinal Newman and his values.
The Prince, the next head of the Church of England, said the cardinal had left a ‘lasting legacy’ as an educator, and the Catholic community owed ‘an incalculable debt to his tireless work’.
Cardinal John Henry Newman will be made a saint by Pope Francis during a ceremony in Rome attended by the Prince of Wales
In an article for the website of the daily newspaper of the Vatican city state, L’Osservatore Romano, Charles said the way the theologian had stood up for his ‘convictions’ – famously shocking Victorian society by converting to Catholicism – still resonated today in light of the persecution various groups and individuals faced because of their beliefs.
He added: ‘In the age when he lived, Newman stood for the life of the spirit against the forces that would debase human dignity and human destiny.
‘In the age in which he attains sainthood, his example is needed more than ever – for the manner in which, at his best, he could advocate without accusation, could disagree without disrespect and, perhaps most of all, could see differences as places of encounter rather than exclusion.’
Sally Axworthy, British ambassador to the Holy See, the jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, has described him as a ‘giant’ of the 19th century, whose poetry, sermons and books went beyond a religious audience and spoke to all people.
Thousands of people have gathered where Pope Francis will declare the cardinal a saint in front of 20,000 pilgrims, the first English saint of the modern age
Prince Charles (pictured with Pope Francis in April 2017) is later expected to make a speech paying tribute to Cardinal Newman and his values
Tapestry featuring the portrait of the new Saints Sister Dulce Lopes Pontes, Sister Giuseppina Vannini, Cardinal John Henry Newman, Sister Mariam Thresia and Margarita Bays are draped from the balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square
People have flocked from all over the world to see the influential 19th century figure who has been hailed by Britain’s ambassador to the Holy See in an important moment in the UK’s relationship with the Vatican
Ms Axworthy said earlier this week: ‘It’s an important moment for the Catholic Church but also Holy See relations.
‘It’s the first British saint canonised in over 40 years and the first post-Reformation saint, and I think Cardinal Newman is important as he’s someone who had a global impact.’
The Vatican must authenticate two miracles to declare someone a saint.
Melissa Villalobos, who was the subject of the second miracle attributed to Cardinal Newman – which confirmed his status as a saint – said about the divine intervention: ‘God in his mercy and Cardinal Newman in his sweet humility granted my request, thanks to God.’
In 2013 she recovered from a torn placenta after praying to the priest for help after she collapsed at home in America with heavy bleeding that threatened her unborn child’s life and her own.
In an interview to be broadcast later on the BBC Radio 4 programme Sunday, a religious news and current affairs show, she said about Cardinal Newman: ‘I know everybody thinks of him as this colossal intellectual, which he certainly is, but I think just as noteworthy is the enormity of his loving heart.’
Tapestry featuring the portrait of the new Saint Cardinal John Henry Newman, framed by the St.Peter’s statue, is draped from the balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square at the vigil of a canonisation ceremony
A priest gives instructions to other clergymen ahead of Mass for the canonisation of 19th-century British cardinal
The Prince said the cardinal had left a ‘lasting legacy” as an educator, and the Catholic community owed ‘an incalculable debt to his tireless work’
Faithful gather for a Mass for the canonisation of 19th-century British cardinal John Henry Newman, a Swiss laywoman, an Indian nun, an Italian nun and a nun known as the ‘Mother Teresa of Brazil’
Prince Charles will lead the UK’s representation at the open-air ceremony in St Peter’s Square, where Pope Francis will declare the cardinal a saint in front of 20,000 pilgrims
A nun holds a Mother Teresa sign as she stands in the crowd. Thousands are expected to take to the street to celebrate the canonisation
Also in attendance will be Deacon Jack Sullivan, whose recovery from a serious spinal condition was also attributed to Newman.
The two people who have said they were cured after praying to him will be among the congregation, as will Cardinal Vincent Nichols, leader of the Roman Catholic church in England and Wales.
A delegation from the Church of England, led by the Bishop of Portsmouth Christopher Foster, will also be present, as will a group of parliamentarians and other dignitaries from the UK.
The last UK individual to be made a saint was John Ogilvie, the 17th century Scottish martyr, canonised by Pope Paul VI in 1976.
London-born Cardinal Newman, who died in England in 1890 aged 89, had been hailed by former Pope Benedict XVI as a model for ecumenism.
An Anglican priest, he renounced an illustrious academic career at Oxford University to convert to Catholicism in 1845, convinced that the truth he sought could no longer be found in the Church of England.
The cardinal went on to found the Oratory at Birmingham in 1848 and through his writings spoke to many about the issues of faith, education and conscience.
Who was Cardinal John Henry Newman?
Cardinal Newman was a Church of England priest before converting to Catholicism in 1845 and is seen as a bridging figure between Anglicanism and Catholicism.
The Cardinal left a ‘lasting legacy’ as an educator, and the Catholic community owed ‘an incalculable debt to his tireless work’.
An Anglican priest, he renounced an illustrious academic career at Oxford University to convert to Catholicism in 1845, convinced that the truth he sought could no longer be found in the Church of England.
The cardinal went on to found the Oratory at Birmingham in 1848 and through his writings spoke to many about the issues of faith, education and conscience.
He was also appointed the first rector of the institution that would become University College Dublin.
In the age when he lived, he was a figure who stood ‘for the life of the spirit against forces’ seeking to lower human dignity – and guided the church back to its Catholic roots.
While at the same time he was open to learning from Anglican traditions such as the role of the laity.
When he died in 1890, thousands took to the streets for his funeral procession. His remains lie in a closed sarcophagus at the Oratory.
‘Newman is very well known in the Church as a theologian, a teacher and an educationalist,’ Father Francis Gavin, from the Birmingham Oratory, told the BBC. ‘But he was also a priest and a pastor. He visited the sick, the imprisoned, and those human qualities of care and friendship are as relevant now as they were in his own time.’
The most recently declared British saint, in 1976, was John Ogilvie, a Scottish martyr who died in 1615.
Source: Mail on Sunday, BBC
Cardinal Newman was a Church of England priest before converting to Catholicism in 1845 and is seen as a bridging figure between Anglicanism and Catholicism