It was with enormous pleasure that the Cleveland Newman Circle welcomed Fr Michael Sharratt to outline something of the philosophy of Cardinal Newman, taken largely from his private correspondence, letters and diaries.

He began by describing a surprisingly outspoken figure who was no liberal and no systematic theologian. From the time of his reception into the Catholic Church, in 1845, Newman remained totally loyal to the Church, taking authority very seriously. However, he considered unity to be of paramount importance and that his role was to respond to the unpredictable problems and disputes as they arose. He strongly believed it was Truth that was at stake in Theology but that it was also vitally important to try and keep people within the Church. From his traditionalist point of view he remained concerned that both theologians and educated people be given sufficient elbow-room to pursue their understanding of their Faith.

He was known for being very sharp when writing to trusted friends and making notes, such that long afterwards, readers were able to see the ‘real’ person and where Newman stood on various theological matters. Interestingly for the time, he thought that women were serious partners in conversation but that it was inopportune to define infallibility. He was outraged by the bullying tactics of Manning, and the Ultramontanes, who he felt held a romantic view of the healthy number of theologians, that had occurred in mediaeval universities. His slogan ultimately became ‘truth is brought out by many minds working together freely’. He thus did not confuse unity and uniformity, feeling that allowable diversity should be the norm. The danger he felt is that we could have a solitude or wilderness and still be calling it peace. He was, therefore, very much against narrowing the terms of Catholicity in any way.

With that, the meeting opened out into a broad, general discussion on Newman’s views and the importance of still allowing elbow-room in a modern world, whose speed of communication has increased. Finally, Fr Sharratt brought the wide ranging and intellectual evening to a close by leaving members with a handful of well-known Newman excerpts to ponder over at their leisure.

Footnote: Fr Michael Sharratt is a Lecturer of Philosophy and historical author at Ushaw College, Durham, who specialises in the study of Galileo