'The Pope will beatify 19th Century theologian Cardinal Newman in an open-air Mass on the final day of his four-day state visit to the UK.' (BBC Online 19/9/10)
Cardinal Newman was aware that this might happen to him. He did not want his bones to become 'relics.' He left instructions for his coffin to be filled with compost - and it was. His coffin was opened a few years ago in a search for relics and it was empty. Newman had achieved his aim. "His body has been taken into heaven," was the line peddled by the catholic church. No it hasn't. It rotted away - with the help of the compost.
He did not want to become a saint or even 'blessed' (the first step to sainthood). One of the tests on the path to sainthood is that of the miracle. A Deacon from the US came forward to claim that a prayer to Cardinal Newman cured his chronic backache. A biographer of Newman checked this claim with leading back specialists. They found the idea of this 'cure' being a miracle laughable.
What would Newman say about the ceremony being held today? He himself admitted that his ego made him most unsuitable for sainthood. So why is it taking place?
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