Bishop Fintan Monahan, Bishop of Killaloe, has said that he is overjoyed at the news today that Pope Leo XIV will confer the title of ‘Doctor of the Church’ on Saint John Henry Newman.
Bishop Monahan, who this week has travelled to Rome along with a group of Irish bishops, clergy and 600 young adult pilgrims from across the island – as part of a global gathering of one million people – to celebrate the 2025 universal Jubilee Year of Hope, said, “I am overjoyed to hear today the great news! Saint John Henry Newman pray for us!”
Bishop Monahan continued, “Saint John Henry Newman was steeped in the Scriptures and the writings of the early Church Fathers. Apart from his saintly qualities he became famous for his theological work on the development of doctrine, the importance of conscience, the purpose of education, the role of the laity and an analysis of faith and reason.
“Many regard him as the father the ideas of Vatican II and the Synodal process. He was certainly way ahead of his time. His devotional work, prayers, hymns and profound poetry helped to bring many people closer in their relationship with God.”
In 2019 Bishop Monahan published A Perfect Peace, Newman, Saint for Our Time, which has since had a second print run.
John Henry Newman (1801 – 1890) was an English theologian, academic, philosopher, historian, writer, and poet. He was previously an Anglican priest and, after his conversion, became a cardinal. In 1851 Newman came to Ireland at the invitation of Archbishop Paul Cullen, Archbishop of Dublin, to serve as rector in the fledging Catholic University in the city, the present University College Dublin. Newman commissioned architect John Hungerford Pollen to design the beautiful University Church, beside 86 Saint Stephen’s Green, which was opened in 1856. He was canonised as a Catholic saint in 2019.
Doctor of the Church is a title given by the Catholic Church to saints recognized as having made a significant contribution to theology or doctrine through their research, study, or writing. Today’s news was announced by the Holy See Press Office, during an audience granted to Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of the Saints, that Pope Leo XIV has “confirmed the affirmative opinion of the Plenary Session of Cardinals and Bishops, Members of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, regarding the title of Doctor of the Universal Church, which will soon be conferred on Saint John Henry Newman.”
As of 2025, the Catholic Church has named 38 Doctors of the Church. Among the 37 recognised Doctors, 28 are from the West and nine from the East; four are women and thirty-three are men; one is an abbess, three are nuns, and one is a tertiary associated with a religious order; two are popes, 19 are bishops, twelve are priests, and one is a deacon; and 27 are from Europe, three are from Africa, and seven are from Asia.