VATICAN CITY – The Catholic Church is canonizing Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman next month, and a British royal will be in the audience.
Read more: Exploring the Comprehensive Catholicity of Cardinal Newman
Prince Charles will travel to Rome to witness the canonization on October 13, 2019. He will also attend the reception at the Pontifical Urban College. It was there that Newman studied to become a priest.
Originally an Anglican priest, Newman was a convert to Catholicism. His hymns, poetry, writings, and reflections inspired the Catholic Church.
“We are delighted that the Prince of Wales will lead the UK delegation for the canonization of Cardinal Newman on October 13,” Cardinal Vincent Nichols, archbishop of Westminster, said.
“As one who has been a lifelong champion of the spiritual in everyday life, to promote understanding between faiths, and who has sought to alleviate poverty and disadvantage through his charitable work, the Prince of Wales is particularly qualified to mark the canonization which will be such a significant and joyful moment for this country,” the cardinal concluded.
This isn’t the first time Prince Charles has traveled to Rome.
Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, duchess of Cornwall, met with Pope Francis in 2017. The pope presented the couple with a bronze sculpture of an olive branch.
“Wherever you go, may you be a man of peace,” the pontiff told Prince Charles.
During their visit to the Vatican, the couple also took a private tour of the Vatican Secret Archives.
On the tour, they viewed the last letter written by Mary, Queen of Scots before her execution.
They also saw a letter written by Queen Mary I and King Phillip II in 1555. The subject of the letter was the restoration of the Catholic Church in England.