The President of the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference has welcomed news of Pope Leo XIV's decision to declare St John Henry Newman a Doctor of the Universal Church.
The title is given to individuals whose writings and teachings are considered to be of particular importance and authority within the Catholic Church.
Doctors of the Church must be officially declared doctors by a papal proclamation.
John Henry Newman began his religious life as a member of the Anglican Church and converted to Roman Catholicism in the mid-1800s.
He spent some time in Dublin where he became the founding Rector of the Catholic University, which later became University College Dublin (UCD).
Viewed as one of the great modern thinkers of Christianity, his work and spirituality culminated in his canonisation in 2019.
Yesterday, Pope Leo confirmed that the title of Doctor of the Universal Church would soon be conferred on St John Henry - joining 37 others including St Augustine, St Thomas Aquinas, St Teresa of Avila and St Thérèse of Lisieux
The Archbishop of Dublin, Archbishop Dermot Farrell said the news was of "particular significance" to Irish bishops who, in 2023, formally approved a petition supporting the process to have St John Henry Newman conferred as a Doctor of the Church.
He noted the special connection St John Henry continues to have with Dublin.
"The beautiful University Church on St Stephen’s Green, built on his initiative and under careful supervision, is a special place of worship for all Dubliners and reminds us to this day of his generosity, presence and work among us in that time," he said.
The Dublin Archbishop expressed confidence that the new honour conferred on the saint would lead to "a renewed interest in his works, the lasting testimony to an exceptionally gifted mind".
