There’s been some speculation recently that Pope Leo is considering making Cardinal Newman a Doctor of the Church.

Nothing concrete, but you can see why some expect such a move. In 2023, four years after he was canonised, the bishops of England and Wales wrote to Pope Francis, formally proposing the idea. The bishops of Ireland and Scotland gave their backing, and in November 2023 the US bishops voted overwhelmingly in support. Newman clearly fulfils two of the three criteria used in the evaluation process: eminens doctrina, i.e. having made a major impact on the Church’s theological reflection, and a life of “remarkable” personal holiness. The third criterion is “proclamation by the Church”, which means a declaration from the Pope or an ecumenical council that the individual is worthy of the title “Doctor”.

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