Ruth et al:
Please give us more details about his medical condition. What was the initial diagnosis? How conclusive was the evidence for the diagnosis? Superficial reports like the above are not conducive to adequate discussion of this sort of miracle claim. Please be more professional and inquiring in your journalism, as this sort of claim is obviously going to be topical, and it is important that the evidence is thoroughly investigated, and not taken at superficial face value.

frank, sydney,

Mr. Sullivan is not a "lay deacon"-there is no such thing as a "lay deacon". He is a Catholic clergyman, ordained to the order of deacon.
As for the doubts about miracles; it is a sad commentary that professing Christians doubt the intercession of God through His saints

Edward Lewis, Richardson , USA

You all seriously think these miracles happened by a simple mortal man? You are loosing sight of the one who gives miracles. If John Henry Newman reads his Bible then he would know to give all the glory to God and not himself...

Lee, Rolo,

This morning i saw a vision of Mary Magdalene on my toast-is this a miracle?

Iain Rae, Tunbridge Wells, U.K.

Newman to be Britain's first British saint since 1970? Not really; what about St John Ogilvie, Jesuit priest of 17th century from Keith in Banffshire canonised in 1976? Just a confusion of English and British really. We get used to it up here.

Noel Burke, Glasgow.

J Noel Burke, Glasgow,

I was cured of my depression by Alfred E. Neuman... can I nominate HIM for sainthood?

Paolo Bagarino, Rome, Italy

I know that many people take this stuff seriously but is it politics or ju ju ?

robert everitt, wolverhampton,

The apostle John calls Jesus' miracles 'signs' : in other words, they are intended to direct us to God - 'the God who heals' as the Old Testament often refers to him. Throughout the New Testament, the normal reaction to a miracle was to glorify God. Let's not fall into the trap of glorifying man.

Paul, Rennes, France

If Cardinal Newman really has got direct and immediate access to the Almighty, it's rather cruel to cure the deacon Sullivan and not mention millions of other sick people, apart from the people in Iraque, Tibet, Kolumbia, Norway and on the Fiji Isles.

Rolf-Peter, Gammertingen, Germany

Can I just point out that healing is quite common in charismatic churches these days! Does that mean everyone who has prayed for the sick and seen them healed is beatified? I think it's time for a rethink on this whole thing!

Bill, Yeovil, UK

Tony
since the two men you mention are "Blessed" they are not yet saints of the Universal Chiurch. They need to have been canonised rather than beatified and this requires another miracle to be verified by the Congregation of Saints.

Mark Dolahenty, Sydney, Australia

Ruth

Newman would not be the first non-martyr saint in GB since the Reformation. How about Blessed Dominic Barberi, buried in St Helens, Merseyside, and of course the man who received Newman into the Church. The next one was Blessed Cyprian Tansi, beatified by JP2 in 1998.

Tony Abbot, Manchester,