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Yesterday at the Vatican, Prince Charles, led the official UK delegation to witness the Pope declare John Henry Newman, the world’s newest saint. A picture can illustrate a thousand words and yesterday it told the story, something which would have been impossible just decades ago. Accompanying the Prince was the Leader of Birmingham City Council, Mohammed Azim, the UK’s Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, Rehman Chishti; an all-party group of MPs and Peers from Parliament and official delegations representing the University of Oxford and the Church of England. Many thousands more from across the world packed St. Peter’s Square to witness the canonisation of the nineteenth century Oxford theologian who was born an Anglican and ordained in the Anglican Church, and who in later life became a Catholic. The scene yesterday in St. Peter’s Square illustrated something, which the Prince of Wales, as heir to the throne, first raised back in 1994 when he spoke of his desire to be ‘Defender of Faith’, rather than ‘The Faith’. At the time the comment met with some questions about whether the Prince was watering down the coronation oath to defend the Anglican faith - an oath the future monarch must take as Supreme Governor of the Church of England. But it was not so as the Prince later said, ‘that while at the same time as being Defender of the faith, you can also be protector of faiths’. Yesterday’s ceremony and the multi-faith delegation illustrated the point entirely and without any contradiction. Newman’s canonisation brought people together from the world of education, politics, state and faith in the twenty-first century. That serves as a powerful reminder that everything can change. It contrasts with the time in 1845 when he became a Catholic. Then suspicion, fear and hostility characterised relations between the Churches following the rupture within Christianity caused by the English Reformation some three hundred years earlier. Healing did not come easily to the Churches. Newman suffered greatly for becoming a Catholic losing most of his friends, his job and also experiencing widespread ridicule. But by the time of his death in 1890 he had changed the paradigm. He had overcome the hostility and opened a space for Catholicism again within English society. Yesterday’s ceremony showed the fulfilment of that space on a world stage with different Christian traditions prizing what’s held together rather than what separates. It’s in the same vein as the words of Prince Charles, both defending the particular and protecting all. In this time of political polarisation and polemics, perhaps politics could take a lesson from religion.