The Rt Revd Dr Steven Croft, Bishop of Oxford, says:
"It was a real privilege to travel to Rome in October 2019 with others from Oxford for John Henry Newman’s canonisation. All Anglicans will rejoice that Pope Leo has now opened the way for Newman to be declared a Doctor of the Universal Church, an extraordinary honour."
"Newman’s great hymns and poems include Lead Kindly Light and Praise to the Holiest in the Height and are loved by so many Christians of all traditions. He left a tremendous legacy of reflection on a wide variety of subjects, particular the nature and role of the Church in the contemporary world.
"This step means Newman’s legacy as an Anglican and as a Roman Catholic will be read and studied for generations to come. My prayer is that his being named as a Doctor of the Church will give fresh impetus to the search for Christian unity in our generation."