Don’t Cherry-Pick St. John Henry Newman, Say Theologians

Experts warn against misrepresenting the saint’s nuanced thought to serve modern agendas — and urge Catholics to read him in full.

In his own words, Andrew Meszaros is “elated” that St. John Henry Newman will soon be declared a doctor of the Church. And why wouldn’t he be?

As the inaugural holder of the St. John Henry Newman Chair at the Angelicum in Rome (the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas), Meszaros’ job is to foster scholarly engagement with the 19th-century English convert. And he believes the more appeals to Newman made in current Catholic discourse, “whatever our theological inclinations,” the better.

But there is one kind of appeal to Newman that Meszaros is not a fan of.

“What is not desirable is instrumentalizing Newman for one particular end, without considering the whole of his thought, and the whole of the Catholic tradition,” he said.

It’s not an uncommon concern. And it might be about to get more prevalent.

The Vatican announced July 31 that Newman (1801-1890), who converted to Catholicism in 1845, would become the 38th doctor of the Church, a title the Catholic Church bestows on a saint whose teachings have significantly contributed to theology and doctrine.

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