Vatican asks for Cardinal Newman Exhumation

Of course the juxtaposition of the request for exhumation and the current situation facing Anglicans in an increasingly splintered Church is not going unnoticed by many.

LOS ANGELES (Catholic Online) - Caroline Gammell of The Telegraph of London has reported on the exhumation of the Body of John Henry Cardinal Newman, the famous convert from Anglicanism and tower of theological wisdom in the Catholic Church:

"The Vatican has asked for the exhumation of the body of the Church of England's most renowned convert to Roman Catholicism as part of his progression towards sainthood.

The Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman was buried in a small cemetery in August 1890 and Rome now wants his remains to be moved to a marble sarcophagus in the Birmingham Oratory.

The move, which is expected to take place by the end of the year, would enable people to pay tribute to him more easily and is part of the process of creating a saint.

The procedure has to be approved by Birmingham City Council and the Ministry of Justice, which was accused of "procrastinating" over the issue, but is expected to be rubber stamped in the next few weeks.

Catholics hope that Pope Benedict XVI will issue a decree declaring Cardinal Newman as Blessed in December, which would pave the way for beatification next spring.
The final step would be for the Cardinal to be canonised as a saint.

Father Paul Chavasse, Provost of the Birmingham Oratory, said: "One of the centuries-old procedures surrounding the creating of new saints by the Catholic Church concerns their earthly remains.

"These have to be identified, preserved and, if necessary, placed in a new setting which befits the individual's new status in the Church.

"This is what we have been asked to do by the Vatican with regard to Cardinal Newman's remains, which have lain at Rednal since his death in 1890.

"We hope that Cardinal Newman's new resting place in the Oratory Church in Birmingham will enable more people to come and pay their respects to him, and perhaps light a candle there.

"Many will surely wish to honour this great and holy man."
Cardinal Newman died in Edgbaston, on Monday 11 August 1890, aged 89 and his funeral was held in the old church a week later, on Monday 19 August.

More than 15,000 people lined the route to the Oratory House at Rednal, situated on the outskirts of Birmingham, where he was buried in the small cemetery along with deceased members of his community.

His new resting place will be in a sarcophagus in Memorial Church, opened in 1907, on the site of the old church, next to the Oratory House.

The Vatican has forbidden the announcement of the removal of Cardinal Newman's body until after the process has been completed."

Of course the juxtaposition of the request for exhumation and the current situation facing Anglicans in an increasingly splintered Church is not going unnoticed by many.

---

'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'

Copyright 2021 - Distributed by Catholic Online