BOMBSHELL! THE LEO EFFECT: POPE LEO APPROVES OF NAMING ST. JOHN HENRY NEWMAN A DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH, THUS REFINING POPE FRANCIS’ EMPHASIS ON DEVELOPMENT OF DOCTRINE

Once again we are seeing the Pope Leo effect in clarifying what the “development of doctrine” means by elevating St. John Henry Newman to the status of Doctor of the Church.

Pope Francis wasn’t always clear on this matter as it concerns synodality. It appeared to many that the post-Vatican II concept of dissenting theologians about the development of doctrine was to change it not deepen it consistent with its roots, but rather to transplant it into something else.

St. John Henry Newman would scoff at such a proposal and be aghast as he converted to Catholicism in the pre-Vatican II Church in England and the pre-Vatican II concept of development of doctrine was logical and also prevented the corruption of doctrine as it developed through the teaching authority of the Magisteriun of the Church, both ordinary and extraordinary. He was very much an Augustinian in this regard.

Thus one can see why Pope Leo is bestowing the title of Doctor of the Church upon this great Catholic convert as Pope Leo knows we live in precarious times with synodality in its Catholic infancy and be used or manipulated by those who know nothing about orthodox development of doctrine.

It also is a corrective to Eastern Orthodoxy as it concerns doctrinal developments post the Great Schism in 1054.

And The Pillar and its readers are ecstatic over this development. Pope Leo XIII named him a cardinal, pope Benedict XVI beatified him and gave a fantastic homily about Newman at the beatification. Ratzinger of course, is an Augustinian at heart in his brilliant theology! Read the Pillar article HERE.

Even Rorate Caeli is ecstatic over THE LEO effect of this development:

Saint John Henry Newman, Doctor of the Church - Proclamation by Pope Leo XIV -- "For fifty years, I have resisted Liberalism in religion. Never did Holy Church need champions against it more sorely than now!"

Here’s an AI description of St. John Henry Newman’s development of doctrine once he became a Roman Catholic in the pre-Vatican II Church:

Google AI Overview

John Henry Newman's theory of doctrinal development, as outlined in his An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, proposes that Christian doctrines evolve and deepen over time while remaining fundamentally consistent with their origins. This means that later elaborations of Christian teachings are not necessarily corruptions of the original faith, but rather logical extensions and deeper understandings of the initial revelation. 

Here's a breakdown of the key aspects:

• Living Doctrine:

  Newman viewed Christian doctrine as a living reality that grows and matures, rather than a static set of beliefs established at the beginning. 
• Logical Progression:

  He argued that genuine developments are not arbitrary but rather logically connected to earlier teachings, like an acorn developing into an oak tree. 
• Not Corruption:

  Newman distinguished between healthy development and corruption, emphasizing that a true development preserves the original type, principles, and organization while deepening understanding. 
• Avoiding Extremes:

  His theory aimed to avoid both the "primitivist" view that doctrine was fully formed at the start and the "relativist" view that doctrine constantly changes. 
• Examples:

  Examples of doctrinal development include the Trinity, Purgatory, and the Immaculate Conception, all of which, according to Newman, can be seen as logical expansions of earlier teachings. 
• Seven Notes of Development:

  Newman outlined seven "notes" or characteristics to distinguish healthy developments from corruptions, including the retention of the same type, a conservative action on the past, and a power of assimilation and revival. 
• Conversion and Influence:

  The concept of doctrinal development was crucial to Newman's own conversion to Catholicism and has significantly influenced Catholic theology according to the Homiletic & Pastoral Review and Wikipedia