Today’s festivities in honour of my intellectual hero John Henry Newman provide not only an occasion to reflect on the nature of the university, the development of doctrine, biblical inspiration interpretation, friendship, and the authority of the papacy, but also to hunt for journalistic typos — one of the most common mistakes in reporting on ecclesiastical topics. Sure enough, the Collective Review reports that “ The main event of the Pope’s visit will be the Beautification of Cardinal John Henry Newman, a Victorian Catholic theologian revered by Anglicans and Catholics alike” (these links are ephemeral, since once these typos come to editorial attention, they’re often cleaned up). The Isle of Man issued a special stamp for the papal visit, and the Isle of Man Newsroom reports that “The commemorative cover marks the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Britain and the beautification of Cardinal John Henry Newman” (whoops, that one has already been fixed). FHR Travel Services say that “The Pope is due to visit the city on September 19th to beautify Cardinal John Henry Newman who died in the city in 1890.” On the whole, though, the major media outlets have handled their spelling responsibilities admirably.
Gee, and all I have to do to be beautified is go to the local hair salon!!