VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- While praising devotion to Mary, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith firmly rejected moves to formally proclaim Mary as "co-redemptrix" or "co-mediatrix."

In a lengthy doctrinal note titled "Mater Populi Fidelis" ("Mother of the Faithful People of God"), the dicastery said the title co-redemptrix or co-redeemer "carries the risk of eclipsing the exclusive role of Jesus Christ" in salvation.

And, regarding the title co-mediatrix or co-mediator, it said that Mary, "the first redeemed, could not have been the mediatrix of the grace that she herself received."

However, it said, the title may be used when it does not cast doubt on "the unique mediation of Jesus Christ, true God and true man." 

Pope Leo XIV approved the text Oct. 7 and ordered its publication, said the note, which was released Nov. 4. 

Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the doctrinal dicastery, presented the document during a conference at the Jesuit headquarters in Rome and said its teaching becomes part of the church's "ordinary magisterium" and must be considered authoritative.

For more than 30 years, some Catholics, including some bishops, have asked for formal dogmatic declarations of Mary as co-redemptrix and co-mediatrix, the document's introduction said. But Msgr. Armando Matteo, secretary of the dicastery's doctrinal section, told the conference that the Vatican's first study of the doctrinal implications of the titles goes all the way back to 1926. 

Cardinal Fernández said that one time, when St. Peter's Basilica was closed, he spent a long time in front of Michelangelo's Pietà. The sorrow on Mary's face because of the death of her son and, at the same time, her obvious strength, he said, "was so beautiful it was understandable why people would want to say everything and more about Mary."

The new document said that titles used for Mary should speak of her motherly care for all people and her place as the first and perfect disciple of Jesus but must not create any doubt that Catholics believe Jesus is the redeemer of the world and the bestower of grace.

"Any gaze directed at her that distracts us from Christ or that places her on the same level as the Son of God would fall outside the dynamic proper to an authentically Marian faith," it said, because Mary always points to her son.

The titles co-redemptrix and co-mediatrix have been used in reference to Mary by theologians and even popes in the past millennium, the doctrinal dicastery said, but without elaborating on the precise meaning and the extent to which those titles could describe Mary's role in salvation history. 

St. John Paul II "referred to Mary as 'Co-redemptrix' on at least seven occasions," the note said, but after consultation with the then-Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and its prefect, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, in 1996, he did not issue a dogmatic declaration and stopped using the title.

Citing Scripture and tradition, the future Pope Benedict XVI said, "The precise meaning of these titles (co-redemptrix and co-mediatrix) is not clear, and the doctrine contained in them is not mature."

"Everything comes from Him -- Christ -- as the Letter to the Ephesians and the Letter to the Colossians, in particular, tell us; Mary, too, is everything that she is through Him. The word 'Co-redemptrix' would obscure this origin," Pope Benedict said.

Pope Francis, at a general audience in 2020, said that Jesus entrusted Mary to humanity as a mother, "not as a goddess, not as co-redemptrix," adding that love motivated some people to call her co-redemptrix, but love often leads people to "exaggerate."

"Given the necessity of explaining Mary's subordinate role to Christ in the work of Redemption, it would not be appropriate to use the title 'Co-redemptrix' to define Mary's cooperation," the doctrinal note said.

The title, it said, "risks obscuring Christ's unique salvific mediation and can therefore create confusion and an imbalance in the harmony of the truths of the Christian faith, for 'there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.'"

"When an expression requires many repeated explanations to prevent it from straying from a correct meaning, it does not serve the faith of the People of God and becomes unhelpful," the dicastery concluded. 

The use of the title "co-mediatrix" is more complicated, the doctrinal note said, because the word "mediation" often is "understood simply as cooperation, assistance or intercession" and easily could apply to Mary without calling into question "the unique mediation of Jesus Christ, true God and true man."

Mary's role in salvation history is unique, the document said. She willingly accepted to become the mother of Jesus the savior, she raised him, traveled with him and stood at the foot of his cross.

While Christ, fully human and fully divine, is the one mediator between God and humanity, it said, "he enables various forms of participation in his salvific plan because, in communion with him, we can all become, in some way, cooperators with God and 'mediators' for one another."

"If this holds true for every believer -- whose cooperation with Christ becomes increasingly fruitful to the extent that one allows oneself to be transformed by grace -- how much more must it be affirmed of Mary in a unique and supreme way," the doctrinal note said.

The church believes that those in heaven can pray and intercede for people still on earth and, "among those chosen and glorified with Christ, first and foremost is his Mother," the note said. "Therefore, we can affirm that Mary has a unique collaboration in the saving work that Christ carries out in his Church. With this intercession, Mary can become for us a motherly sign of the Lord's mercy."
 

Pope Leo XIV leads the Church’s commemoration for his papal predecessor and 142 other bishops who died in the past year on Nov. 3, 2025, in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Nov 3, 2025 / 11:04 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Monday presided over a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica in suffrage for the late Pope Francis and for deceased cardinals and bishops.

One day after celebrating Mass for all the faithful departed at Verano Cemetery in Rome, the Holy Father led the Church’s commemoration for his papal predecessor and 142 other bishops who died in the past year.

In the presence of members of the Roman Curia and hundreds of Catholic faithful, the pope said his first Mass commemorating the Church’s deceased cardinals and bishops had the “savor of Christian hope” because their ministry had guided many “on the path of the Gospel.”

“Dear friends, our beloved Pope Francis and our brother cardinals and bishops for whom we offer the Eucharistic sacrifice today have lived, witnessed, and taught this new paschal hope the Lord called them to,” Leo said in his Nov. 3 homily.

“The Lord called them and established them as shepherds of his Church,” he said. “Through their ministry they — to use the language of the Book of Daniel — have led many to righteousness.”

Though saddened by their deaths, Leo said their guidance and teaching helped transmit Christ’s “wisdom, justice, sanctification, and redemption” to the Church’s faithful spread throughout the world.

“We are saddened, of course, when a loved one leaves us,” he told the congregation. “As Christians, we are called to bear with Christ the weight of these crosses.”

“But we are not saddened like those without hope, because even the most tragic death cannot prevent Our Lord from welcoming our soul into his arms and transforming our mortal body, even the most disfigured, into the image of his glorious body,” he said.

Entrusting the souls of Pope Francis and the deceased prelates to God, Leo prayed for their intercession and “spiritual encouragement” for Christians “who are still pilgrims on earth.”

Using the Book of Psalms, Leo at the end of his homily prayed: “Hope in God; I will still praise him, the salvation of my face and my God.”

WASHINGTON - On the weekend of December 13-14, the faithful will have the opportunity to support more than 21,000 elderly sisters, brothers and religious order priests. Coordinated by the National Religious Retirement Office (NRRO), the annual collection taken up by participating (arch)dioceses helps provide critical financial assistance to eligible religious institutes caring for their retired members.

For decades, women and men religious have devoted their lives to service through countless Church ministries, often for little to no pay. Today, their communities face a severe gap between the rising cost of care and the limited resources available. In 2024, religious past the age of 70 outnumbered younger religious by nearly three to one, and only 4% of communities reporting to the NRRO said they were adequately funded for retirement.

Since 1988, the Retirement Fund for Religious has been a lifeline for our aging religious, but the need remains urgent. In 2024, the collection raised $28.1 million, while annual care costs for senior religious exceeded $1 billion. The average annual cost to care for senior religious, as reported by the NRRO, is $56,600 per person, with skilled nursing averaging $96,000. The typical Social Security benefit for a religious is just $9,090—less than half that of the average lay beneficiary. This gap underscores the critical importance of the national appeal.

“For decades, the faithful service of these religious has touched countless lives, including my own,” said NRRO director John Knutsen. “Through your generosity, we can help ensure they are cared for with the dignity they so rightly deserve while also living out the values of compassion and solidarity that unite us as disciples of Jesus.”

“Supporting our aging religious is a profound opportunity to show gratitude for their lifetime of service, and we hear all throughout the year how deeply thankful they are for that support,” he continues. 

Since its inception, the collection has distributed more than $1 billion to religious institutes across the U.S., supporting day-to-day care and helping religious communities build up their retirement funds. It also funds educational programs for eldercare and long-term retirement planning. Every gift makes a difference, providing retired religious with the care and dignity they deserve.

For more information, please visit retiredreligious.org.

###

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Christ crucified and risen has tamed and transfigured death with his love, Pope Leo XIV said.

"We are saddened, of course, when a loved one leaves us," the pope said in his homily Nov. 3, during a memorial Mass for Pope Francis and the world's cardinals and bishops who died over the past year.

"We are scandalized when a human being, especially a child, a 'little one,' a fragile person, is taken away by illness or, worse, by human violence," he said during the Mass in St. Peter's Basilica.

"As Christians, we are called to carry the weight of these crosses with Christ," he said. "But we are not sad like those who have no hope, because even the most tragic death cannot prevent our Lord from welcoming our soul into his arms and transforming our mortal body, even the most disfigured, into the image of his glorious body."

The worst form of death, he said, is "violent death that kills the innocent" and leaves people "disheartened, discouraged and desperate."

"How many people, how many 'little ones,' today suffer the trauma of this frightening death because it is disfigured by sin," Pope Leo said. God the Father does not want this form of death, "and he sent his Son into the world to free us from it." 

"The love of Christ crucified and risen has transfigured death: from enemy, He has made it sister, He has tamed it," he said. And in the face of death, we do not 'grieve like the rest who have no hope,'" he said.

For this reason, Christians do not call burial places "'necropolises,' meaning 'cities of the dead,' but 'cemeteries,' which literally means 'dormitories,' places where one rests, awaiting resurrection," Pope Leo said. As the psalmist prophesies (Ps 4:9): "In peace I will lie down and fall asleep, for you alone, Lord, make me secure."

"With great affection," Pope Leo said, the Nov. 3 Mass was offered for the soul of Pope Francis, "who died after opening the Holy Door and imparting the Easter blessing to Rome and the world." Pope Francis died April 21, 2025, Easter Monday.

"Our beloved Pope Francis and our brother cardinals and bishops," he said, "have lived, witnessed and taught this new paschal hope. The Lord called them and appointed them as shepherds in his church, and through their ministry they -- to use the language of the Book of Daniel -- have led 'the many to justice.'"

"That is, they have guided them on the path of the Gospel with the wisdom that comes from Christ, who has become for us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption," Pope Leo said.

"May their souls be washed clean of every stain and may they shine like stars in the sky," he said. "And may their spiritual encouragement reach us, still pilgrims on earth, in the silence of prayer: 'for I shall again praise him, my savior and my God.'"

The booklet for the Mass listed the names and dates of death of Pope Francis, eight cardinals and 134 bishops who died over the past year.

Pope: Christians don't lose hope in the face of death

Pope Leo XIV prayed for deceased popes in the crypt of St. Peter's Basilica the evening of the feast of All Souls' and the following morning, Nov. 3, celebrated a memorial Mass in St. Peter's Basilica for Pope Francis and all the cardinals and bishops...

Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass commemorating the faithful departed at Rome’s Verano Cemetery on Nov. 2, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

ACI Prensa Staff, Nov 2, 2025 / 12:40 pm (CNA).

Celebrating Mass for the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed at Rome’s Verano Cemetery, Pope Leo XIV invited Catholics to contemplate death “not so much as a recollection of the past but above all as a hope for the future.”

The pope said the Christian vision of death is not one of despair or nostalgia but of confident expectation rooted in the resurrection of Christ. “Our Christian faith, founded upon Christ’s paschal mystery, helps us to experience our memories as more than just a recollection of the past but also, and above all, as hope for the future,” he said in his homily.

He encouraged the faithful not to remain “in the sorrow for those who are no longer with us” but instead to look forward “towards the goal of our journey, towards the safe harbor that God has promised us, towards the unending feast that awaits us.”

“This hope for the future brings to life our remembrance and prayer today,” the pope continued. “This is not an illusion for soothing the pain of our separation from loved ones, nor is it mere human optimism. Instead, it is the hope founded on the resurrection of Jesus who has conquered death and opened for us the path to the fullness of life.”

Pope Leo emphasized that love is the key to this journey. “It was out of love that God created us, through the love of his Son that he saves us from death, and in the joy of that same love, he desires that we live forever with him and with our loved ones,” he said.

He urged Christians to anticipate eternal life by practicing charity in their daily lives. “Whenever we dwell in love and show charity to others, especially the weakest and most needy, then we can journey towards our goal, and even now anticipate it through an unbreakable bond with those who have gone before us.”

“Love conquers death,” he said simply. “In love, God will gather us together with our loved ones. And, if we journey together in charity, our very lives become a prayer rising up to God, uniting us with the departed, drawing us closer to them as we await to meet them again in the joy of eternal life.”

Concluding his homily, the pope invited those mourning loved ones to turn to the risen Christ as their sure source of comfort and promise. “Even as our sorrow for those no longer among us remains etched in our hearts, let us entrust ourselves to the hope that does not disappoint,” he said. “Let us fix our gaze upon the risen Christ and think of our departed loved ones as enfolded in his light.”

“The Lord awaits us,” he added. “And when we finally meet him at the end of our earthly journey, we shall rejoice with him and with our loved ones who have gone before us. May this promise sustain us, dry our tears, and raise our gaze upwards toward the hope for the future that never fades.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Pope Leo XIV leads the faithful in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican in reciting the Angelus on Nov. 2, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

ACI Prensa Staff, Nov 2, 2025 / 10:50 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV issued urgent appeals for peace and humanitarian access in Sudan and Tanzania on Sunday, decrying escalating violence that has left civilians dead and aid blocked in parts of Africa.

“With great sorrow I am following the tragic news coming from Sudan, especially from the city of El Fasher in the war-torn region of North Darfur,” the pope said after leading the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square on Nov. 2. He condemned “indiscriminate violence against women and children, attacks on unarmed civilians, and serious obstacles to humanitarian aid,” and called for an immediate ceasefire and the opening of humanitarian corridors.

“I renew my heartfelt appeal to all parties involved to agree to a ceasefire and to urgently open humanitarian corridors,” he said, urging the international community “to act with determination and generosity” to support relief efforts.

Turning to Tanzania, the pope expressed sadness over deadly clashes following recent elections, encouraging citizens “to avoid all forms of violence and to follow the path of dialogue.”

The pope also greeted pilgrims from Italy and abroad, including youth and religious groups, and said he would celebrate Mass that afternoon at Rome’s Verano Cemetery in remembrance of the faithful departed.

“In spirit, I will visit the graves of my loved ones, and I will also pray for those who have no one to remember them,” he said. “Our heavenly Father knows and loves each of us, and he forgets no one.”

Earlier, before the recitation of the Angelus, the pope reflected on the meaning of All Souls’ Day, telling the faithful that “the resurrection of the crucified Jesus from the dead sheds light on the destiny of each one of us.”

Quoting from the Gospel of John, he said: “This is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me but raise it up on the last day.” From this, the pope explained, “the focus of God’s concerns is clear: that no one should perish forever and that everyone should have their own place and radiate their unique beauty.”

He linked this hope to the previous day’s feast of All Saints, calling it “a communion of differences that extends God’s life to all his daughters and sons who wish to share in it.” Citing Pope Benedict XVI, he described eternal life as “being so immersed in an ocean of infinite love that time, before, and after no longer exist.”

Concluding his reflection, the pope invited Christians to live this day as a remembrance filled with hope. “Let us commemorate, therefore, the future,” he said. “We are not enclosed in the past or in sentimental tears of nostalgia. Neither are we sealed within the present, as in a tomb.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

St. Peter’s Basilica. / Credi: cinemavision/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Nov 2, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

The Vatican on Saturday named St. John Henry Newman a doctor of the Church. The 19th-century English saint — a former Anglican priest who converted to Catholicism — joined 37 other saints who have been given the same honor.

Born in London and baptized into the Church of England in 1801, Newman was a popular and respected Anglican priest, theologian, and writer among his peers prior to his conversion to Catholicism in 1845. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1847 and later made a cardinal by Pope Leo XIII in 1879.

As a Catholic, Newman deepened and contributed to the Church’s teaching, thanks to his broad knowledge of theology and his keen insight into modern times, grounded in the Gospel. His body of work includes 40 books and more than 20,000 letters.

He died in Edgbaston, England, in 1890. He was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on Sept. 19, 2010, and canonized by Pope Francis on Oct. 13, 2019.

What is a ‘doctor of the Church’?

The title “doctor of the Church” recognizes those canonized men and women who possessed profound knowledge, were superb teachers, and contributed significantly to the Church’s theology.

Traditionally, the title has been granted on the basis of three requirements: the manifest holiness of a candidate affirmed by his or her canonization as a saint; the person’s eminence in doctrine demonstrated by the leaving behind of a body of teachings that made significant and lasting contributions to the life of the Church; and a formal declaration by the Church, usually by a pope.

While their teachings are not considered infallible, being declared a “doctor” means that they contributed to the formulation of Christian teaching in at least one significant area and this teaching has impacted later generations. 

Not quite half of the saints revered as doctors in the Catholic Church are also honored in the Orthodox church since they lived before the Great Schism in 1054.

The most recent doctor of the Church to be named was St. Irenaeus of Lyon, with the title “doctor unitatis” (“doctor of unity”), in 2022. Pope Francis had previously in 2015 named as a doctor of the Church St. Gregory of Narek, a 10th-century priest, monk, mystic, and poet beloved among Armenian Christians.

Other notable saints who are doctors of the Church include St. Teresa of Ávila, St. Augustine, St. Ambrose, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, St. Anthony of Padua, and St. Francis de Sales, among others.

This story was first published on Aug. 1, 2025, and has been updated.

ROME (CNS) -- As Christians visit cemeteries on the feast of All Souls and remember their loved ones who have died, they do so with faith that at the end of this life they will be together again with the Lord, Pope Leo XIV said.

The pope celebrated Mass Nov. 2, the feast of All Souls, at Rome's largest cemetery, Verano, which covers more than 200 acres.

"The Lord awaits us, and when we finally meet him at the end of our earthly journey, we shall rejoice with him and with our loved ones who have gone before us," the pope told about 2,000 people who had gathered on a road among the tombs for the Mass.

"May this promise sustain us, dry our tears and raise our gaze upward toward the hope for the future that never fades," he said.

Arriving at the cemetery, he set a bouquet of white roses on one of the tombs, and at the end of the Mass he blessed the graves with holy water before leading the traditional prayer, "Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them." 

The pope began his homily by speaking about the loved ones buried at Verano, telling the congregation that "we continue to carry them with us in our hearts, and their memory remains always alive within us amid our daily lives"

"Often," he said, "something brings them to mind, and we recall experiences we once shared with them. Many places, even the fragrance of our homes, speak to us of those we have loved and who have gone before us, vividly maintaining their memory for us."

For those who believe that Jesus conquered death, the pope said, "it is not so much about looking back, but instead looking forward toward the goal of our journey, toward the safe harbor that God has promised us, toward the unending feast that awaits us."

"There, around the Risen Lord and our loved ones, we hope to savor the joy of the eternal banquet," he said. 

Belief in eternal life, the pope said, "is not an illusion for soothing the pain of our separation from loved ones, nor is it mere human optimism. Instead, it is the hope founded on the Resurrection of Jesus who has conquered death and opened for us the path to the fullness of life."

After the Mass, Pope Leo visited the tombs of the popes buried in the grotto under St. Peter's Basilica.

Earlier in the day, the pope led the recitation of the Angelus prayer with thousands of visitors gathered in St. Peter's Square.

He told them he would be going to the cemetery to celebrate Mass for all the faithful departed. 

"In spirit, I will visit the graves of my loved ones" -- his mother died in 1990 and his father in 1997 -- "and I will also pray for those who have no one to remember them. But our heavenly Father knows and loves each of us, and he forgets no one!"

Citing Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical on hope, Pope Leo said that "eternal life" can be thought of not as "a succession of time without end, but being so immersed in an ocean of infinite love that time, before and after no longer exist."

Such a "fullness of life and joy in Christ is what we hope for and await with all our being," Pope Leo said.

Praying for the dead, he said, is not just about remembering a loss, but it is a sign of belief that in the death and resurrection of Jesus, no one will be lost.

Pope Leo prayed, "May the familiar voice of Jesus reach us, and reach everyone, because it is the only one that comes from the future. May he call us by name, prepare a place for us, free us from that sense of helplessness that tempts us to give up on life."
 

Pope Leo prays for the dead

On the feast of All Souls, Pope Leo  celebrated a late-afternoon Mass at Rome's Verano cemetery.

Ryan Marr is an expert on the English saint John Henry Newman and is a former associate editor of the Newman Studies Journal. / Credit: Courtesy of Ryan Marr

Vatican City, Nov 1, 2025 / 11:50 am (CNA).

St. John Henry Newman, the Anglican clergyman who converted to Catholicism but whom many in both London and Rome distrusted for years, stands today as a beacon that continues to inspire many to embrace the Catholic faith as he did.

“I am personally grateful for the testimony of Newman’s life, because without his legacy I might not be Catholic today,” confessed Ryan “Bud” Marr, a renowned scholar of the English saint, upon whom Pope Leo XIV conferred Saturday the title of doctor of the Church.

Newman’s memorable quote “to be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant” was pivotal in Marr’s personal conversion. When he first read it, he “was studying to be a Protestant pastor,” he revealed in a conversation with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

“I immediately understood that I had to read the rest of Newman’s essay to put to the test the truth of his statement. I couldn’t simply ignore that challenge and continue on the path I was on,” he explained.

The expert, a former associate editor of the Newman Studies Journal, added that “there are countless similar testimonies” to his and that they will continue to grow in the coming years in light of Newman’s designation as the 38th doctor of the Church.

For Marr, Newman possessed a singular gift: “Expressing fundamental truths in brief and memorable phrases,” capable of transcending time and touching consciences. This is why so many people, over more than a century, have found in his writings a path to conversion, he said.

Development of doctrine, a decisive contribution

For Marr, Newman’s most significant contribution to contemporary Catholic theology is on the subject of the development of doctrine. “It’s not that Newman wrote something entirely new,” he explained.

“Other Catholic theologians, especially St. Vincent of Lérins, had already addressed the topic of doctrinal development. But Newman synthesized diverse ideas into a unified and compelling theory so that any subsequent theologian has had to start from his ‘Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine’ when addressing this topic,” he pointed out.

This vision, he added, was decisive for 20th-century thought. Newman showed that “the Church’s understanding of revealed truths deepens over time.”

“In some cases, the Church offers new formulations — as happened with the Nicene Creed — but these developments always affirm and clarify what has been handed down,” he emphasized.

“The deposit of faith is immutable, but our understanding of that deposit actually expands,” he added. Each generation, Marr emphasized, must “proclaim the truth of the faith within its own linguistic categories” but always preserve the “essential while facing the challenges of its time.”

Conscience and ‘sensus fidei’ as means of Christian discernment

When it was announced that Newman would be proclaimed a doctor of the Church, Marr recalled, “some observers predicted that Pope Leo XIV might bestow upon him the title of ‘doctor of conscience.’” This is no coincidence. Newman, he noted, dedicated some of his most influential writings to the “centrality of conscience in the journey to God,” both during his Anglican period and in his new life as a Catholic.

Like St. Thomas Aquinas, Marr explained, “Newman believed that a person should never act against the dictates of their conscience,” because doing so “would undermine the very coherence of the moral life.”

However, the former champion of Anglicanism, who converted to Catholicism at the age of 45, also warned about the human tendency toward “self-deception,” Marr explained. The scholar noted that Newman insisted on the need to “form the conscience according to divine and natural law.”

In his 1874 “Letter to the Duke of Norfolk,” one of his most celebrated essays, Newman cautioned against a “false notion of conscience,” identified with the right to one’s own will, an idea that, according to Marr, “reflects the modern mindset” that values ​​subjective independence over objective truth.

He therefore pointed out that “as Catholics, we must work to restore the true vision of conscience, in line with the teaching of theological giants like Aquinas and Newman.”

‘Sensus fidei’ is not ‘a populist counterweight to the hierarchy’

This theme, he said, is intertwined with the concept of the “sensus fidei,” the supernatural sense of the faith bestowed upon the baptized: “Newman was ahead of his time in recognizing that the lay faithful have an essential role in the defense and transmission of tradition. The priesthood of all believers means, in part, that the baptized possess a special sense of the faith, a capacity that we must strengthen through devotion and study.”

Marr noted that, for Newman, this sense also had a communal dimension, the “sensus fidelium,” or sense of the faithful.

“He did not understand it as a populist counterweight to the hierarchy,” he clarified. “He knew that the pope and the bishops exercise a divinely instituted authority, but he remembered that there have been times in history — such as during the Arian controversy — when the laity defended the faith, even when some pastors wavered.”

A prophet in the face of modern apostasy

With prophetic clarity, the expert noted, Newman “foresaw the growing irreligion of the modern world.” In his 1873 sermon “The Infidelity of the Future,” Newman warned that the trials of the future would be so great “that they would shake even hearts as valiant as those of St. Athanasius or St. Gregory the Great,” Marr said.

Newman, he explained, perceived that the greatest danger of modernity would be precisely the spread of unbelief, a society that is “simply irreligious.”

However, faced with this bleak outlook, “Newman neither called for retreat nor proposed authoritarian strategies.” He courageously confronted the philosophical ideas of his time and offered a compelling explanation of the “reasonableness of the Christian faith,” deeply rooted in Catholic tradition and in dialogue with modern philosophy, he noted.

Newman and the intellectual mission of the laity

Newman, the expert continued, understood the life of the Catholic Church as something “dynamic,” where “all members of the body of Christ have an active role in the proclamation of the truth.”

The fathers of the Second Vatican Council took up this vision, presenting it as an urgent call to contemporary Catholics. The expert warned that it is important to understand this call well: “The laity do not fulfill their vocation by becoming more clerical but by sanctifying the world according to their own specific mission, bringing the Gospel to education, law, medicine, and culture.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

On All Saints Day 2025, St. John Henry Newman was proclaimed a doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIV. / Credit: Vatican Media

ACI Prensa Staff, Nov 1, 2025 / 08:45 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV has declared St. John Henry Newman a doctor of the Church, recognizing the English cardinal and theologian — one of the most influential converts from Anglicanism — as a towering figure of faith and intellect in modern Catholicism.

The declaration took place at the beginning of Mass for the solemnity of All Saints on Nov. 1, celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica as part of the Jubilee of Education. Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, read Newman’s biography and formally requested that the pope proclaim the saint a doctor of the Church.

Pope Leo then read in Latin the solemn formula declaring Newman the 38th doctor of the universal Church. The pope also named Newman co-patron of Catholic education, putting him alongside St. Thomas Aquinas in that role.

‘An inspiration to new generations’

“Newman’s impressive spiritual and cultural stature will surely serve as an inspiration to new generations whose hearts thirst for the infinite and who, through research and knowledge, are willing to undertake that journey which, as the ancients said, takes us ‘per aspera ad astra,’ through difficulties to the stars,” the pope said in his homily.

“The lives of the saints teach us that it is possible to live passionately amidst the complexity of the present, without neglecting the apostolic mandate to ‘shine like stars in the world,’” the pope continued, quoting St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians. “On this solemn occasion, I wish to say to teachers and educational institutions: ‘Shine today like stars in the world’ through your authentic commitment to the collective search for truth and to sharing it with generosity and integrity.”

Referring to Newman’s famous hymn “Lead, Kindly Light,” Leo added: “The task of education is precisely to offer this Kindly Light to those who might otherwise remain imprisoned by the particularly insidious shadows of pessimism and fear. For this reason, I would like to say to you: Let us disarm the false reasons for resignation and powerlessness, and let us share the great reasons for hope in today’s world.”

Pope Leo also emphasized that “life shines brightly not because we are rich, beautiful, or powerful. Instead, it shines when we discover within ourselves the truth that we are called by God, have a vocation, have a mission, that our lives serve something greater than ourselves.”

Finally, he recalled Pope Benedict XVI’s words to young people: “‘What God wants most of all for each one of you is that you should become holy. He loves you much more than you could ever begin to imagine.’ This is the universal call to holiness that the Second Vatican Council made an essential part of its message. And holiness is intended for everyone, without exception, as a personal and communal journey marked out by the beatitudes.”

“I pray that Catholic education will help each person to discover their own call to holiness,” the pope said.

What is a doctor of the Church?

The title “doctor of the Church” is given to saints recognized for their eminent learning, deep holiness, and significant contribution to Catholic theology.

To receive the title, a saint must have demonstrated outstanding sanctity confirmed by canonization, excellence in doctrine through writings of lasting influence, and a formal declaration by the pope.

The most recent doctor of the Church before Newman was St. Irenaeus of Lyon, proclaimed by Pope Francis in 2022 as the “Doctor of Unity.”

Other doctors of the Church include St. Augustine, St. Ambrose, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Teresa of Ávila, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, St. Anthony of Padua, and St. Francis de Sales.

Who is St. John Henry Newman?

St. John Henry Newman was born in London on Feb. 21, 1801. Originally an Anglican priest, he became one of the leading figures of the Oxford Movement, which sought to return the Church of England to its ancient roots. His theological reflections led him ever closer to Catholicism, and in 1845 he entered the Catholic Church.

In remarks after Saturday’s Mass, Pope Leo welcomed an official delegation of the Church of England, led by Archbishop Stephen Cottrell of York, and prayed that Newman might “accompany Christians on their journey towards full union.”

Ordained a Catholic priest in 1847, Newman founded the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in England and went on to produce an immense body of work — more than 40 books and some 20,000 letters — spanning theology, philosophy, and education.

Pope Leo XIII made him a cardinal in 1879. Newman chose as his motto “Cor ad cor loquitur” (“Heart speaks to heart”), reflecting his conviction that true conversion is a return to the innermost dwelling of God in the heart.

He died in Edgbaston, England, in 1890. Pope Benedict XVI beatified him in 2010, and Pope Francis canonized him in 2019. His remains rest in the Catholic cemetery of Rednal, Birmingham.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.