VERSION|0.5.1|NAME|Dinah|DATE|1360757570|CONTENT|Newman, who died in 1890, was buried in the same grave as his friend Ambrose St John, who predeceased him by a number of years.  In 2008 there was an attempted exhumation of Newman’s remains.  The Catholic Church’s official excuse for doing this was that it wished to find some ‘relics’ for his forthcoming beatification and to find an alternative site for a burial which was more accessible to those who wished to come and venerate the future saint.  The unofficial explanation was that the Vatican had wanted to remove the body in case Newman’s burial with his friend should be seen as evidence of a gay relationship.  However, nothing of his body remained and only a tassel from his Cardinal’s hat was found.  It has been said that Newman instructed that quicklime should be poured over his coffin with the express intent of preventing any later veneration of his remains.

While there is no doubt that Newman did love his friend, whether theirs was a physical relationship will probably never be known.  He also had close friendships with two other priests who are buried in the same graveyard.
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