What was John Henry Newman's position on papal infallibility in 1870?

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St. John Henry Newman English prelate, theologian, and poet John Henry Newman converted to Roman Catholicism in 1845. He was made a cardinal in 1879.

In 1870, John Henry Newman held a nuanced position regarding papal infallibility. While he was personally a believer in the doctrine, he expressed opposition to its formal definition as a dogma during the First Vatican Council that year.1

His stance reflected a broader tension within the Roman Catholic Church at the time, where some theologians and churchmen were wary of the push for centralized authority championed by ultramontanes and Pope Pius IX. Despite his reservations about the timing or necessity of the definition, Newman remained a committed member of the church, later being named a cardinal in 1879.12