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September 2008

Canonisation Cardinal Newman expected soon

1 – Newman’s life
John Henry Newman (1801-1890) was or-
dained a priest in the Anglican Church in
1824. He was appointed professor in the
renowned Trinity College, Oxford and was
immediately recognised for his great erudi-
tion and eloquence. His study of the Arian
Heresy that appeared in the first centuries of
the Christian Church caused Newman to
think. Arianism and its derivatives called the
Divine Trinity into question. He discovered
that in all disputes that disturbed the Roman
Catholic Church – thus not only in the
context of Arianism – the bishop of Rome,
the Pope, always and invariably had taken
the position that later became generally ac-
cepted. In this he saw God’s helping hand because such a phenomenon is impossible to
explain on purely logical grounds. This eventually led him to decide to become a Ca-
tholic. (That Rome always gets things right in the end should make us pause for thought
in view of the fact that currently in the Vatican communion in the hand is forbidden.)

Later, while still an Anglican priest, Newman concluded that Anglicanism is a form of
semi-Arianism. In late 1843 he converted to the Roman Catholic faith and two years later
he was formally admitted to the Church. He was then 44 years old. During his visit to
Rome in October 1846 he was ordained by Cardinal Fransoni and admitted to the Ora-
tory. (1) Both before and after his conversion he wrote several influential books. In 1879
Pope Leo XIII made him a cardinal. He had an eventful life and was one of the best-
known Catholic prelates of his time.

2 – The beatification / canonisation process

In 1991 Newman was declared Venerable, after the Congregation for the Causes of Saints
had carefully examined his life and works. In a beatification process at least one miracle
is required before someone can be declared Blessed. A second miracle is needed for the
later canonisation. In October 2005 Deacon Jack Sullivan in the United States was cured
of the pain caused by a spinal disorder through the intercession of Newman. On 24th April
2010 this miracle was officially recognised as being inexplicable by current medical
knowledge. The next step expected is his beatification by Pope Benedict XVI, who
appears to have shown personal interest in his case. There is said to be a second miracu-
lous cure through the intercession of Newman, which is soon to be studied. In late July it
was announced that on the advice of the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints his
body is to be exhumed and placed in a sarcophagus in the Oratory Church in Edgbaston,
Birmingham (England). This was to take place some time in the autumn during an official
commemoration ceremony. It is expected that Newman will be beatified before the end of
this year. (It was announced on March 16th, 2010 by the Holy See that Pope Benedict
XVI will beatify John Henry Newman on 19th September that year, during his visit to the
Archdiocese of Birmingham.)
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3 – Arianism
Some words about the Arian crisis might come in handy here, because Newman was an
undisputed expert in this heresy. Arianism, named after its founder, the Libyan priest
Arius, is the fourth-century heresy that denies Christ’s full deity. It gave rise to such
controversy that the Emperor Constantine took the decision to convene the general coun-
cil of Nicaea in order to overcome the crisis. Arius’ doctrine was rejected and the man
himself was exiled to Illyricum. Less than two years later, he presented Emperor Con-
stantine with a new formulation that was accepted, but he died in Alexandria shortly be-
fore he could be restored to his function as a priest. The damage was done however, and
brought about devastation in the Church. Cardinal Newman gave an apt description of the
effects of the Arian crisis:

«« The body of bishops failed in their confession of the Faith (…) They spoke
variously, one against another; there was nothing, after Nicaea of firm, unvarying,
consistent testimony, for nearly sixty years. There were untrustworthy Councils,
unfaithful bishops; there was weakness, fear of consequences, misguidance,
delusion, hallucination, endless, hopeless, extending into nearly every corner of the
Catholic Church. The comparatively few who remained faithful were discredited and
driven into exile; the rest were either deceivers or deceived. »» (“On Consulting the
Faithful” - Sheed & Ward, Kansas City # 1961, p. 77)

I can hardly be blamed for observing that the current crisis within the Church seems in
some respects to resemble the description as given by Newman. The Second Vatican
Council was explicitly a non-dogmatic council, but all developments since then have
confirmed the impression that as far as doctrine is concerned within the community of
believers an entirely new wind has started to blow, with consensus among the bishops
(and thus also among the clergy and the faithful) sometimes being difficult to find. It is
said that the current crisis within the Church is a crisis of the bishops. I believe that there
is some truth in this. That being said, it is only to be hoped that this crisis, as in the after-
math of the Arian conflict, will be transient. Deo gratias! Deus est omnipotens (Thank
God! God is almighty).

Hubert Luns

[Published in “De Brandende Lamp”, 3rd quarter 2008 - No. 115]

(1) Oratory: Institute founded by St. Philip Neri (1515-1595) in Rome in 1561. His follo-
wers (priests and lay brothers) came together in an oratory to follow spiritual exercises. In
1575 community life was introduced, though without formal vows, based on the bond of
love and affection. All houses are autonomous. There are now more than 70 Oratories in
the world with approximately 500 priests as members. This type of religious gathering
and celebration is at the heart of the oratorio as a musical genre.