To commemorate the upcoming beatification of John Henry Newman by Pope Benedict XVI, Rev. Jeffrey P. von Arx, S.J., president of Fairfield University, will speak about Newman and another great Victorian cardinal - his contemporary and sometimes adversary, Henry Edward Manning.

The talk, which will take place on Thursday, September 9 at 8 p.m., will be an enlightening effort to grasp these two great contemporary Churchmen's disagreements over the direction of the Victorian Catholic Church during the 19th century.

Newman is shortly to be beatified, declared a 'blessed,' and will probably be declared a saint; the same is unlikely to happen to Manning, according to Fr. von Arx. "It would be a mistake, however, to allow the beauty and attractiveness of Newman's personality or the uncongeniality of Manning's, to stand in the way of an effort to understand and evaluate their disagreements over the direction of the Church in their day," he said. "Saints are not always the best leaders, and powerful leaders who manifest little tolerance for opposition are not always wrong."

Sponsored by Fairfield University's Center for Catholic Studies, the event is free and open to the public. Entitled "Two Cardinals: John Henry Newman, Henry Edward Manning and the Victorian Catholic Church - A lecture to commemorate the beatification of John Henry Newman," it will take place in the Dolan School of Business Dining Room, on the Fairfield campus.

"The controversies between Manning and Newman were not the same ones we are engaged in now," Fr. von Arx noted. "But it is possible that the effort to comprehend their disagreement will help us understand how we got to where we are as Catholics today."

For more information about the Center for Catholic Studies, visit fairfield.edu/cs or call (203) 254-4000, ext. 3415.

Posted On: 08-12-2010 10:08 AM

Volume: 43 Number: 19