Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val y Zulueta: The Spaniard who saved Newman from modernism

The imminent proclamation of Saint John Henry Newman as a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIV is sparking a wave of interest in the figure and thought of the English cardinal, considered one of the great theologians of the 19th century. But it also inevitably revives a more discreet and profoundly ecclesial memory: that of Spanish Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val, Secretary of State to Saint Pius X, whose intervention was decisive in preserving Newman's legacy from being absorbed—or deformed—by theological modernism.

Merry del Val was neither a speculative theologian nor a systematic thinker, but he was an upright and far-sighted servant of the Church in one of its most difficult periods. His fidelity to Saint Pius X, his doctrinal rigor, his demanding charity, and his life of prayer made him a much-admired figure among the faithful seeking models of clarity amidst confusion. It was precisely this fidelity that led him to intervene when Newman's name began to be used by modernists as a covert banner for their errors, following the publication of the encyclical Pascendi Dominici Gregis in 1907.

Newman had died in 1890, without having been condemned. But his theology of doctrinal development and his attention to the role of the Christian conscience were misinterpreted by some progressive circles. In this context, figures such as George Tyrrell—a former Jesuit and excommunicated Jesuit—invoked Newman as a pioneer of modernism. It was then that Merry del Val, well-versed in the English world, Anglicanism, and the thought of the Oxford convert, decided to act with the clarity that characterized him. From the Secretariat of State and with the support of Saint Pius X, he promoted declarations in L'Osservatore Romano and other official Vatican forums to affirm that Newman's doctrine was completely orthodox and had nothing to do with the condemned theories.

This seemingly discreet gesture had enormous consequences. It freed Newman from the burden of suspicion and allowed his figure to be read in a Catholic sense, without ambiguity. If today Leo XIV can elevate Newman to a Doctor of the Church, it is largely because Merry del Val saved his figure from being trapped in the ideological confusion of modernism.

But beyond this specific intervention, Merry del Val's entire life deserves to be rediscovered. His austerity, his life of prayer—his devotion to the "Litany of Humility" is well-known—his tireless defense of the Magisterium, his discretion, and his personal dedication to the Church make him a true model of the priesthood. He died in 1930 in Rome, having never sought applause or prominence.

He was declared a Servant of God but has not yet been elevated to Venerable and Blessed status. The new historical context of Newman's elevation to Doctorate is very appropriate for the revival of his cause. The beatification of Rafael Merry del Val would not only be an act of historical justice, but also a sign in a Church that needs to recover courage, clarity, and humility.

That the Spanish cardinal who saved Newman be recognized today, in the heat of his proclamation as a Doctor of the Church, would be providentially consistent.

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The Litany of Humility

O Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
Hear me.

From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the desire of being loved,
Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the desire of being extolled,
Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the desire of being honored,
Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the desire of being praised,
Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the desire of being preferred to others,
Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the desire of being consulted,
Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the desire of being approved,
Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of being humiliated,
Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of being despised,
Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of suffering rebukes,
Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of being calumniated,
Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of being forgotten,
Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of being ridiculed,
Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of being wronged,
Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of being suspected,
Deliver me, O Jesus.

That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be esteemed more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be chosen and I set aside,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be praised and I go unnoticed,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be preferred to me in everything,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

Charity

Charity is patient, is kind; charity does not envy, is not pretentious, is not puffed up, is not ambitious, is not self-seeking, is not provoked; thinks no evil, does not rejoice over wickedness, but rejoices with the truth, bears with all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Cor. 13:4-7).

To have Charity is to love God above all things for Himself and be ready to renounce all created things rather than offend Him by serious sin. ( Matt. 22:36-40)

Cardinal Merry del Val was the Secretary of State to Pope Saint Pius X (1903-1914)