THE
P RTAL
March 2013
Page 14
Thoughts on Newman
Safely lodged in
the Barque of Peter
by Br Sean of The Work
At this time, when the eyes of the world are once again turned towards
Rome in both gratitude for the service of Benedict XVI and in expectation of
the election of his successor, we want to look at briefly at Newman’s changing
relationship with the Papacy.
influenced by Calvinist literature
Pope Pius IX
in an open letter, ‘An Earnest Remonstrance’, in which
As a young Evangelical in Oxford, Newman’s views he charged the authors of the letter with ‘the evil of
on the Papacy were very different from those he held making banter and jest of sacred things.’
in later life. As a young man heavily influenced by
Calvinist literature, he believed that the Pope was the Blessed Pope Pius IX
After his reception into the Church in 1845 Newman
Anti-Christ.
was very touched when Pope Gregory XVI sent him a
He went so far as to make calculations from historical small silver crucifix via Cardinal Fransoni. When the
dates and passages from Scripture to prove this. He Pope died on 1 st June 1846 Pius IX was elected Pope
eventually broke away from these radical ideas as the sixteen days later.
hold which this Calvinistic-Evangelicalism had on
Newman wrote in a letter to John Dobree Dalgairns
him dwindled in the second half of the 1820s.
at the time that ‘The new Pope has sent me his blessing,
a never ending source of controversy and I hear that the last thing he was speaking of before
As the Oxford Movement began in 1833 the views going into conclave was about Dr Wiseman and me.’
of the Tractarians towards the Papacy became a never Newman was later granted an audience with Blessed
ending source of controversy. While the Tractarians Pope Pius IX in November of 1847. He provides us
were keen to emphasise that they merely sought to with a charming description of the meeting: ‘were
defend the English Branch of the ancient catholic summoned in to His Holiness.
faith, they were often accused of advocating ‘Popery’.
We saw him for but a few minutes. He is a handsome
Some attacks which Newman and the Tractarians vigorous man, not looking older than he is, and his
underwent now seem quite ridiculous. One such attack manners were exceedingly easy and affable. He told us
came in the form of a fake Papal letter which some a story of an English conversion, and when Ambrose
academics in Oxfordhad put together in 1836. The St John asked in simplicity ‘What was the man’s name?’
letter, entitled ‘A Pastoral Epistle from His Holiness The He smiled, and laying his hand on St John’s arm,
Pope to Some Members of the University of Oxford’ was answered ‘Do you think I can recollect your English
published and circulated, presumably by supporters of names?’ He asked our Christian names, and said he
the liberal theologian Hampden, after he was elected was very much pleased to see me, a recovered sheep,
as the Regius Professor of Divinity, a move which the and then he went across the room and gave me [a]
Tractarians contended.
picture. He gave St John himself a coronation medal
[...] When I knelt down to kiss his foot on entrance, I
the farcical publication
knocked my head against his knee.’
Addressed from the Pope to his ‘faithful sons’ at the
University of Oxford, the letter contained detailed a cardinal ‘to the joy of all England’
instructions to the Tractarians on how they should
In May 1879 Pope Leo XIII created Newman a
write their tracts, avoiding any language that would cardinal ‘to the joy of all England.’ Some weeks before
give away their secret allegiance to the Pope.
the consistory Leo XIII received him in audience ‘most
affectionately - keeping my hand in his’ and asking him
Pusey responds with disgust to the farcical publication about the Oratory community in Birmingham.