Cardinal Newman becomes Britons first modern-day saint in Rome ceremony

The Victorian priest, hymn writer, and poet was declared a Saint before a congregation of 20,000, at an open-air ceremony in St Peter’s Square.

The leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, Cardinal Vincent Nichols was alongside the Pope to witness the canonisation of the first English saint of the modern age.

Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols told Premier it’s a day of celebration for Britain’s Catholics: “I’ve been describing it as a party.

“It is just a moment of great joy that this man who whose life is so full, and whose sensitivities are so important, and who struggles through so many difficulties, we can see much more clearly into his heart. And what a great disciple of Christ he was.”

The former Anglican priest controversially converted to Catholicism in 1845 and went on to found a society of priests known as the Birmingham Oratory in 1848.

Cardinal Nichols honoured Newman’s dedication to the people of Birmingham, where he served as a parishioner for 40 years.

“He was an outstanding example for us of a priest working in a parish,” Nichols said.

“Newman worked quite quietly in the parish in Birmingham, where he served the people who serve the poor.”

The theologian, who was made a cardinal in 1879 spoke to many about issues of faith, education and conscience through his various writings and has been described as one of the most…