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VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis is canonizing Cardinal John Henry Newman, the 19th-century Anglican convert who became an immensely influential, unifying figure in both the Anglican and Catholic churches.
Francis presided over Mass on Sunday in a packed St. Peter's Square to declare Newman and four women saints.
Among the luminaries on hand was Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, who penned a remarkable ode to Newman that was published in the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano.
Newman is admired by Catholics and Anglicans alike because he followed his conscience at great personal cost. When he defected from the Church of England to the Catholic Church in 1845, he lost friends, work and even family ties, believing the truth he was searching for could only be found in the Catholic faith.
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