Pope Leo XIV on Saturday bestowed one of the Catholic Church’s highest honors on St. John Henry Newman, the deeply influential 19th- century British convert and theologian, declaring him a doctor of the church and holding him up as a model for Catholic educators.

Only 37 other people have been given the title “doctor” in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church.

Newman now joins the ranks of such monumental Christian figures as St. Augustine, St. Therese of Lisieux and St. John of the Cross.

The title recognizes that Newman, beloved in both the Anglican and Catholic churches, has universal appeal and made a timeless, eminent contribution to understanding the Christian faith.

A theologian and poet raised in the Church of England, Newman is best known for his writings and sermons on the development of doctrine, truth and the nature of a university.

He is admired by conservatives and progressives alike, because he followed his conscience at great personal cost when he decided to convert to Catholicism in 1845.

Leo pronounced Newman a church doctor on Saturday during a special Holy Year Mass for Catholic educators and students, during which he was also declaring Newman a co-patron of Catholic education, alongside St. Thomas Aquinas.

It was particularly fitting: It was Leo’s namesake, Pope Leo XIII, who made Newman a Catholic cardinal after his conversion, and it was the earlier Leo who declared Aquinas a doctor of the church and patron of Catholic education.

Leo’s decision to hold out Newman as a model for Catholic educators and students suggests that Catholic teaching will be a priority for him going forward, especially as he emphasizes the ethical use of artificial intelligence for future generations.