Founder of UCD could be canonised next year

The founder of University College Dublin looks set to become a saint.

Cardinal John Henry Newman was the rector of the Catholic University of Ireland which later became UCD.

According to the Catholic News Agency, a second miracle attributed to him has been approved by the Vatican.

The news site reports that the second miracle concerned the healing of an American pregnant woman who prayed for the intercession of Cardinal Newman when she was given a life-threatening diagnosis, and her doctors could not explain her recovery.

The miracle was investigated by the Archdiocese of Chicago, and was apparently confirmed.

The move has led to expectations that Cardinal Newman, who died in 1890, could be canonised as early as next year.

Sr Kathleen Dietz, a Newman scholar, told the Catholic News Agency that Cardinal Newman was a man of integrity.

"He was very much a scholarly person. He was extremely practical, and translated a lot of his scholarship into life," she told the agency.

Digital Desk