St. John Henry Newman: A light for Catholics then and now

A precursor of Vatican II

Hendro Munsterman: For Catholic theology, the 19th century was not a particularly significant period. Only two or three theologians truly contributed something new and deepened Christian thought. Newman was one of them, and he undoubtedly represents the greatest light on the Catholic side during that period.

His thinking contains several interesting elements. It has often been said that Newman was a precursor of the Second Vatican Council. Although he lived a century earlier, he is considered to have “participated” in this assembly through his thinking, particularly on the place of the laity and on the sensus fidei. Newman believed that the faithful also had something to contribute actively — even when it came to defending and deepening doctrine.

For this idea, he drew not only on his own Anglican history, but above all on the Church of the early centuries. He rejected a clerical vision of the Church. Here we find the insights that today inspire the synodality promoted by Pope Francis.

Today, in the current context of the Catholic Church, which is seeking to renew its reception of the Council, his promotion appears to be a significant sign.

Newman and previous popes

Munsterman: The last two popes each had a form of attachment to Newman — but not for the same reasons.

Benedict XVI undoubtedly appreciated him because Newman believed deeply in the Truth. The postmodern idea that truth does not exist, that everyone constructs their own truth — relativism — was strongly criticized by the German pope. For Newman, truth exists, it must be sought and defended. But our understanding of this truth is not fixed: it is a reality that we are constantly discovering anew, and our understanding of it progresses throughout the history of the Church. Thus, Newman believes that doctrine is not static but dynamic, that it develops and unfolds.

For Pope Francis, it is precisely this dynamism that catches his attention: the idea that not everything is immutable. The Argentine pope appreciates Newman's thinking that truth must be constantly deepened. We can also highlight the importance that Newman gives to each person's personal conscience: a theme that Pope Francis was particularly fond of.

Leo XIII and Leo XIV

Munsterman: By virtue of his name, Pope Leo XIV is part of the legacy of Leo XIII. It was this pope who made Newman a cardinal at the end of his life, in a move that went somewhat against the grain.

The former Anglican priest who had become a Catholic was then frowned upon by some of the cardinals and high dignitaries, who found him suspicious. His critical and original approach to theology was disturbing. He didn’t believe that Catholicism should be a carbon copy of Rome everywhere. For him, it was possible to be deeply English and fully Catholic without imitating Italian forms of piety, such as certain popular devotions.

For these reasons, some mistrusted him, even doubting that he had truly become Catholic. But Leo XIII deeply appreciated him and spoke of him affectionately as “il mio cardinale” (“my cardinal”).

There is also another connection with Pope Leo XIV: Newman was greatly influenced by the Church Fathers, especially St. Augustine, and the new pope, himself an Augustinian, shares this affinity.

Newman’s love for the Church Fathers

Munsterman: Even as an Anglican priest, Newman was passionate about the Church Fathers. Reading them convinced him that Anglicanism needed to be reformed and reoriented in a more “Catholic” direction.

It was with this in mind that he undertook his great work on the development of dogma. In studying Christian origins, he discovered that everything the Catholic Church of his time taught already existed in embryonic form in the early Church: the seeds were there, and they simply grew.

Ten years before Darwin, he applied to theology what Darwin would apply to biology: the idea of living development. At a time when history was becoming a science, Newman came to the conviction that the Catholic Church was the organic continuation of the early Church, while Anglicanism had remained frozen in the 16th century.

Even before finishing his book, he converted. Once rebaptized — baptisms were not yet recognized between churches — he was ordained a Catholic priest and joined the Oratory of St. Philip Neri.

An ecumenical figure

Munsterman: Newman is clearly a figure who brings the two churches closer together. All the great names in Catholic ecumenism were specialists in Newman. But Newman is also considered a saint in the Anglican church, and some of the hymns he wrote are still sung in Anglican churches.

Newman never renounced what he had received from his origins. He encountered Christ in the Anglican church, then found fulfillment in the Catholic Church, but without a complete break. It was not a black-and-white conversion: he brought to the Catholic Church everything he had received from his Anglican tradition, integrating it into a broader framework.

But his figure could also represent a stumbling block. On the Anglican church's calendar of saints, he is listed on the date of his death (August 11). However, when Benedict XVI beatified him, he chose the date of his Catholic baptism, October 9. At the time, Rome explained that it wanted to avoid any competition with St. Clare, who is celebrated on August 11. But this choice could be perceived as not very ecumenical.

In this context, if King Charles, who like the pope is both head of state and head of the church, were to participate in the celebration in honor of Newman, it would be a strong sign of communion between the two traditions.

The importance of conscience

Munsterman: For Newman, conscience and obedience go together: they are two aspects of the same reality. For him, being Catholic means living in communion with the pope in a tradition rooted in the apostles, with trust in the Holy Spirit. But this obedience itself is a matter of conscience: if it conflicts with one's understanding of the Gospel, one must follow one's conscience.

This dialogue between conscience and obedience is illustrated, for example, by the question of papal infallibility: Newman refused to attend the First Vatican Council as an expert because he sensed that this dogma would be proclaimed, which he did not consider appropriate. Once the dogma was proclaimed, he accepted it loyally, but with sobriety, without a cult of personality. His famous words are well known: “I shall drink to the Pope, if you please, still, to conscience first, and to the Pope afterwards.”

It was also his conscience that led him to convert to Catholicism, even though he had every reason not to take the plunge, as Anglican priests enjoyed a comfortable life compared to Catholic priests. He once wrote, “When I was an Anglican priest, I had a wonderful life and a mediocre faith; since becoming a Catholic, I have a wonderful faith and a miserable life.”

A rallying point for Catholics

Munsterman: Yes, he is a figure who speaks to everyone, though not for the same reasons. One could say, “To each his own Newman.” In this respect, there’s a resemblance to Leo XIV, who is seeking to bring people together at the beginning of his pontificate.

In any case, Newman teaches a sense of the Church based not on blind obedience, but on a living obedience that pushes us to go ever deeper. Everything that challenges us in the Church can become an opportunity to dig deeper, to make room for the Holy Spirit who guides history. It’s a theology of trust, a theology turned toward the future.