Pope Francis reportedly is ready to confirm that Cardinal John Henry Newman will be declared a saint next year.
He will be the first Briton from modern times to be canonized. Newman was instrumental in the revival of Roman Catholicism in England.
The final step in the quest to canonize Newman, who lived during the reign of Queen Victoria, was to find miracles attributed to him. The Vatican has recognized a second miracle attributed to him after prayers on behalf of a pregnant Chicago woman facing life-threatening complications.
Newman, born in 1801 as the son of a London banker, was a priest of the Church of England before he converted in 1845. He recorded his faith journey to Rome in Apologia Pro Vita Sua, published two decades later.
Newman was a formidable theologian who wrote several much-loved hymns, and was made a cardinal in 1879. He lived in Birmingham for 40 years. More than 15,000 lined the streets for his funeral in 1890.
John Martin
