August 19, 2010. Only one month to go before the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman. The celebration will take place on September 19th during the visit of Benedict XVI to Britain.

Usually it is the prefect of the Congregation for Causes of Saints who presides over beatifications, but in this case the Pope made an exception to the rule.

He will be the first to preside personally at this kind of celebration. And this gives added importance to the impact of Cardinal Newman's beatification, one of the highlights of the many events to mark the Pope's trip to the United Kingdom.

Beatification is the final step before canonization and the candidate can be called blessed and be venerated in the diocese of origin.

The miracle approved for the beatification of John Henry Newman was unexplainable cure of a disease suffered by Deacon Jack Sullivan.

Newman was an Anglican priest who converted to Catholicism in 1845. He had a great influence on English Catholics and the wider Church. His work contributed to the reform of the Church at Vatican II.

The 11th of  August marked the 120th anniversary of his death, just a month before Cardinal Newman will be declared blessed.

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