Funny -- no mention of the fact that Newman was also a homosexual, and was buried in the same grave as his long-time companion, Father Ambrose St. John -- an embarrassing occurrence that the Catholic Church now wants to rectify:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/sep/04/catholicism.gayrights

The real irony is that if Newman were alive today he would be appalled to find himself credited with 'miracles' -- about which he was extremely sceptical. See

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11186584

for an objective account of Newman's alleged first posthumous 'miracle'. It's about as convincing as John Paul II's or Mary McKillop's. I wonder what the going rate is for testifying to a 'miracle' these days?

You base your 'knowledge' of the fact that Newman was gay on an opinion piece written by a gay rights activist who admits that there is no certainty about the cardinal's sexual orientation, but goes ahead and asserts that he was gay anyway. It's possible that he was; it's also possible that he wasn't.

Who cares if John Henry Newman was gay, for chrissakes?

Beatify him - gives the Pope something to do, besides telling women what to do with their bodies.

The beatification of Newman has been relegated to a secondary event by Benedict/Ratzinger's ranting against atheists and attempts to brand the Nazis and Hitler as the worst of atheism.

He has been called on it by the British blogging public: see the comments here

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/16/pope-benedict-xvi-atheist-extremism

Newman was obviously a remarkable man but he was not a Saint. This exercise in making him a saint is all about politics, as is the entire "saint"-making-apparatus of the "catholic" church.

It has nothing whatsoever to do with the Spiritually based practice of the Process that is True Religion.

In the various Oriental traditions, especially Hinduism LIVING Saints are highly revered in their life-times. Indeed such Realized beings are the only source, inspiration and continuous renewal of the entire Hindu tradition. They quite often perform miracles too.

Orthodox Hindus would find it completely absurd that any one would be declared a saint decades or even centuries after their death. And that some kind of bureaucratic authentification process was/is in any sense necessary.

This reference points out that genuine Saint-hood only occurs with the awakening of the Fourth Stage of Life. As such it requires a profound degree of psycho-physical maturity even in ordinary human terms. Which is why Saints are extremely rare.

http://www.aboutadidam.org/growth/seven_stages.html

I think the part that made me laugh out loud was where he is reported to have said:

"Even in our own lifetime, we can recall how Britain and her leaders stood against a Nazi tyranny that wished to eradicate God from society"

This, from a member of Hitler Youth.

Referring to a movement whose motto was "Gott mit Uns"

http://www.lewrockwell.com/vance/vance26.html

Whose leader most famously said:

"Hence today I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator: by defending myself against the Jew, I am fighting for the work of the Lord." Mein Kampf Ch.2

And

"Everybody who has the right kind of feeling for his country is solemnly bound, each within his own denomination, to see to it that he is not constantly talking about the Will of God merely from the lips but that in actual fact he fulfils the Will of God and does not allow God's handiwork to be debased. For it was by the Will of God that men were made of a certain bodily shape, were given their natures and their faculties. Whoever destroys His work wages war against God's Creation and God's Will." Mein Kampf Ch.10

Herr Joseph Ratzinger. Spinmeister extraordinaire.