In an earlier post, I wrote about Tony Blair’s hope that Newman would also be declared a Doctor of the Church. The former British PM must be pleased that the pontiff has now echoed his sentiment. During the Pope’s flight to Scotland on Thursday morning, a journalist asked the Holy Father which aspects of the late Cardinal’s personality he most wanted to emphasize. He replied with three points:

The modernity of his life, with all the doubts and problems of our lives today. His immense culture; his knowledge of the great treasures of human culture and his permanent readiness to study and renew that knowledge. His spirituality; his spiritual life and his life with God.

Then the Pope added that Newman’s figure “appears as a doctor of the Church for us and for everyone.” To get a sense of why Newman is so avidly revered by both Popes and Prime Ministers, watch the latest episode of Catholic Focus. It airs tonight at 7 & 11 pm ET / 8 pm PT and is now available online (above). Just hours away, S+L will bring you the live prayer vigil for Cardinal Newman at 1:15 pm ET / 10:15 am PT. Finally, we will broadcast Cardinal Newman’s beatification Mass live Sunday morning at 5 am ET / 2 am PT, repeating at 8:30 pm ET / 5:30 pm PT. All events can be watched online via our live streaming.