St. John Henry Newman to be declared 38th doctor of the Church

PopeLeoXIVonThursdayapprovedthedecisiontodeclareSt.JohnHenryNewmanthe38thdoctoroftheuniversalChurch. Thedecisiontoconferthetitleuponthe19th-centuryEnglishsaint—aformerAnglicanpriestwhoconvertedtoCatholicism—wasconfirmedduringthepope’smorningmeetingwithCardinalMarcelloSemeraro,prefectoftheDicasteryfortheCausesofSaints.  AccordingtotheHolySeePressOffice,theHolyFatheracceptedthe“affirmativeopinion”ofdicasterymembersandtheplenarysessionofcardinalsandbishopsregardingthefounderoftheOratoryofSt.PhilipNeriinEngland.   IntheChurch’s2,000-yearhistory,only37othersaints,includingfourwomen,havebeengiventhetitleofdoctor.Thetitleisgrantedinrecognitionofanalreadycanonizedsaint’ssignificantcontributiontoadvancingtheChurch’sknowledgeofdoctrine,theology,orspirituality.    TheVaticanhasnotyetconfirmedthedateofNewman’sformalproclamationasadoctoroftheChurch. BorninLondonandbaptizedi