(OSV News) — St. John Henry Newman — the 19th-century theologian, intellectual and preacher who journeyed from Anglicanism to Catholicism, powerfully shaping religious thought in both faith traditions — will be named a doctor of the church by Pope Leo XIV. St. John Henry Newman was a British scholar, philosopher, writer and an Anglican priest before he was received into the Catholic Church. The Vatican announced July 31, 2025, that Pope Leo XIV has paved the way for St. John Henry Newman to become the newest doctor of the church. A statue of St. John Henry Newman is seen Feb. 5, 2018, on the campus of Newman University in Wichita, Kan. St. John Henry Newman was a British scholar, philosopher, writer and an Anglican priest before he was received into the Catholic Church. The Vatican announced July 31, 2025, that Pope Leo XIV has paved the way for St. John Henry Newman to become the newest doctor of the church.