On the Solemnity of All Saints, Pope Leo XIV issued a Chirograph proclaiming Saint John Henry Newman the Patron of the Pontifical Urbaniana University and, during the same celebration, declared him a Doctor of the Church—marking him as one of the great theological and spiritual minds of modern Catholicism.
According to Vatican News, the papal decree, dated November 1, recognized the English cardinal’s “impressive cultural and spiritual stature” and affirmed that Newman will serve as “a luminous model of faith and of the sincere search for truth” for those formed in the Church’s missionary institutions.
A Patron for the Church’s Mission in Education
The Chirograph was issued following a request by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Grand Chancellor of the Urbaniana University, and a proposal by Professor Vincenzo Buonomo, Pontifical Delegate and Rector of the university. In the decree, Pope Leo declared that Saint John Henry Newman, canonized in 2019, “be proclaimed Patron of the Pontifical Urbaniana University, so that he may intercede for this academic institution and be, for all who are formed within it for the Church’s missionary service, a luminous model of faith and of the sincere search for truth” (Vatican News).
A Doctor of the Church and Co-Patron of Catholic Education
During Mass in St. Peter’s Square for the Jubilee of the World of Education, Pope Leo XIV also announced Newman as the 38th Doctor of the Church and named him co-Patron of the Church’s educational mission alongside St. Thomas Aquinas.
In his homily, Pope Leo praised Newman as a master of “theory and practice of education,” urging teachers and students to bring the “Kindly Light” of faith into a world “darkened by so much injustice and uncertainty” (Vatican News, Alessandro Di Bussolo). The Pope called educators to ensure that “schools, universities, and every educational context, even those that are informal or street-based, are always gateways to a civilization of dialogue and peace.”
Education: A Journey Through the Stars
Drawing from Newman’s vision of learning as a spiritual journey, Pope Leo encouraged all believers “whose hearts thirst for the infinite” to follow the path “per aspera ad astra — through difficulties to the stars.” Education, he said, must be a search for truth and a service to others, where “real people” remain at the center rather than “abstract individuals.”
“We are called to form people,” Pope Leo affirmed, “so that they may shine like stars in their full dignity” (Vatican News).
Schools as “Laboratories of Prophecy”
Pope Leo described universities and schools as “laboratories of prophecy, where hope is lived, and constantly discussed and encouraged.” Quoting his Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi te, he urged Catholic educators to “shine today like stars in the world through your authentic commitment to the collective search for truth.”
The Pope also warned of the “encircling gloom of nihilism” that threatens to “cancel hope,” saying education must guide students through the darkness with the “Kindly Light” that inspired Newman’s hymn: “Lead, Kindly Light, amid th’encircling gloom, Lead Thou me on.”
Education as the Path to Holiness
Concluding his homily, Pope Leo said that from a Christian perspective, “education helps everyone to become saints. Nothing less will do.” Quoting Pope Benedict XVI’s words at Newman’s 2010 beatification, he reminded 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.”
In naming St. John Henry Newman both Patron of the Urbaniana University and Doctor of the Church, Pope Leo XIV has placed him at the heart of Catholic education—an enduring guide for teachers, students, and scholars to “discover their own call to holiness” and to let their light shine in a world in need of truth and hope.
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