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Pope Francis expressed his desire to name Irenaeus of Lyon a Doctor of the Church on October 7, 2021, in a speech to a group of Catholic and Orthodox theologians. And on January 21, it became official, with Irenaeus being named the 37th Doctor.
The pope explained how he thought this would help point to Irenaeus as an example of a “spiritual and theological bridge.”
St. Irenaeus will become the 37th Doctor of the Church, joining four other French saints, including St. Bernard of Clairvaux, St. Hilary of Poitiers, St. Francis de Sales, and St. Thérèse of Lisieux.
In 2015 Pope Francis proclaimed St. Gregory of Narek a Doctor of the Church.
St. Irenaeus is a saint who has a very close link to the apostles, as the Catholic Encyclopedia explains.
This succession further shows how the faith of the apostles was successfully handed on to others, who imitated their faith and kept it alive through some very rough years.
While St. Irenaeus may be a saint of the early Church, his example is still relevant today and Pope Francis wants us to rediscover his life so that we can be bridges in our modern society.
