A poet and thinker ahead of his time... Charles’ praise for UK’s newest saint
CARDINAL John Henry Newman became the first British saint of modern times yesterday as he was canonised by the Pope.
Before tens of thousands of pilgrims in St Peter’s Square, Pope Francis elevated the 19th century theologian, priest and writer to sainthood.
Prince Charles, the next head of the Church of England, took his seat close to the altar at the ceremony. He praised the cardinal’s legacy, saying in a speech afterwards: ‘Today is a cause for celebration for us all – Anglicans, Catholics and simple admirers of Newman. He was a priest, a poet and a thinker ahead of his time.
‘Above all, perhaps he was a fearless defender of truth, whose impact on the world was as profound as it is enduring.’
The prince shook hands with the Pope ahead of the ceremony, wishing him well in his fight to protect the environment.
Francis also praised Charles for an article in the Vatican’s newspaper in which he wrote: ‘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.’ Presiding over Mass before 50,000 worshippers, during which four women saints were also canonised, Francis quoted Newman’s hymn Lead, Kindly Light, saying: ‘Let us ask to be like ... “kindly lights” amid the encircling gloom.’
London-born Newman, who died in 1890 at 89, converted to Catholicism from the Church of England and became one of the most influential theologians of his era. One of his greatest legacies was changing attitudes towards Catholicism, raising its standing in society.
Melissa Villalobos, who was the subject of the 2013 second miracle – which confirmed Newman’s status as a saint – was in Rome yesterday. Mrs Villalobos believes her life and that of daughter Gemma were saved during her pregnancy by the cardinal’s divine intervention.
She said: ‘I feel like I’ve been waiting for this since the minute I was created, and here it is.’
The first miracle attributed to Newman was the cure of a US deacon, Jack Sullivan, from an agonising spinal disorder.
The most recently declared British saint was John Ogilvie, a Scottish martyr who died in 1615 and was canonised in 1976.