To whom it may concern,

I do not know how often you update your website, but I would deeply appreciate it if you would remove any references of John Cardinal Newman [here and here] as a homosexual.

I understand that you may be against some of his more liberal ideas but you are scandalizing readers. Not only is this not a verified fact, there is a good deal of evidence that points to it being completely false. (For evidence click here)

A brief article regarding the point at hand.

     Thank you and God bless,

     A.L.



TIA responds:

A.L.,

We update our website everyday, on the Latest Updates page.

Thank you for sending us the article by Hilary White on 9/4/2008 stating that she believes Card. John Henry Newman was not a homosexual. We also acknowledge the information that Fr. Ian Kerr, biographer of Newman and commissioned by the Vatican to defend him, also believes he was not a degenerate.

Other than these two personal opinions, we found nothing to back your affirmation: "There is a good deal of evidence that points to it being completely false."

The point that both the journalist and the scholar did not address and that you also disregarded is whether it is true that Card. Newman described his sorrow at the death of his companion, Fr. Ambrose of Saint John, as "a grief comparable to a wife losing a husband."

We posted evidence that Cardinal Murphy O'Connor, when he was still Archbishop of Westminster, admitted that this text is authentic. Therefore, there are reasonable grounds to suspect that Newman was a homosexual. As a matter of fact, we do not know of any normal man who would write such a thing.

The rest - the pretended indignation over his being homosexual or euphoric approval for the same - are based upon opinions and interpretations of persons interested in having Newman to serve their own agenda. Thus, we have, on the one hand, Fr. Kerr stating that Newman was not homosexual to please the Vatican and earn his salary, and Peter Tatchell, spokesman for the English homosexuals, stating the opposite to advance his platform. We base ourselves on neither the latter, nor the former. We support the hypothesis that he could be homosexual based on the text he wrote.

If you have any serious evidence that this text is false, please let us know. Otherwise, do not pretend that it was indisputably proved he was not homosexual when the point is still wide open to discussion.

     Cordially,

     TIA correspondence desk

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