Newman, the Reluctant Saint

Newman was, by 19th-century Catholic standards, a deeply unconventional theologian. It is certainly true that Newman was a man often intellectually at odds with his Church, indeed, with both his churches. Unquestionably the greatest Christian intelligence of his age, Newman’s thought has retained a relevance matched by that of few other Victorians. His centrality for modern Catholic theology was indicated by the theologian-Pope Benedict’s decision to beatify Newman himself (a ceremony normally delegated to cardinals or local bishops). Though an unwavering convert to Catholicism from the Anglican Church, he never warmed to the more extravagantly material manifestations of Catholic piety.