Vatican to Beatify Archbishop Fulton Sheen Later This Year, Advancing Him to Sainthood

The cause for beloved Catholic American evangelist Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s sainthood took one step forward this week when the Vatican approved his beatification for later this year.

The diocese of Peoria announced the upcoming beatification of the Illinois native a full six years after his cause was delayed.

“This is a great moment for the local church in Peoria, for the church here in the United States and for the church universal,” Bishop Louis Tylka of Peoria said in an interview on Monday, adding that the Holy See, governing authority of the Catholic Church, will allow for the process of beatification, per the New York Times:

Archbishop Sheen, once called “the greatest communicator of the 20th century” by the evangelical preacher Billy Graham, headed a radio broadcast for 20 years before hosting the television series “Life Is Worth Living” in the 1950s and a similar program in the 1960s. He won an Emmy for most outstanding personality in 1953, besting nominees including Edward R. Murrow and Lucille Ball.

That year, he memorably condemned Joseph Stalin on a broadcast and gave a dramatic reading of the burial scene in Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” with the names of prominent Soviet leaders substituting for Caesar and his circle. “Stalin must one day meet his judgment,” the archbishop intoned. Stalin died after a stroke the next month.

Sheen’s mainstreaming of Catholicism to the American masses during a time of intense anti-Catholic tribalism has also been credited by some experts with setting the stage for President John F. Kennedy – the first Catholic president.

The Vatican abruptly postponed the beatification of Sheen in 2019 weeks ahead of the scheduled ceremony due to an ownership dispute over his remains as well as scrutiny into how he handled at least one abusive priest in his diocese.

“After years of inquiries, including a probe by the state attorney general, there have been no public statements about any allegations against Archbishop Sheen,” noted the Times.

“Msgr. James Kruse, then the director of canonical affairs in the diocese of Peoria and an advocate for Archbishop Sheen’s canonization, told a Catholic news outlet in 2019 that “extensive scrutiny” showed the archbishop had never put children in harm’s way or covered up abuse.”

According to the National Catholic Register, Pope Francis approved a miracle attributed to Fulton Sheen’s intercession in 2019, which paved the way for his beatification until the abrupt delay.

“On March 6, 2014, the board of medical experts who advise the then-Congregation for the Causes of Saints unanimously approved a reported miracle attributed to his intercession,” reported EWTN. “Parents of a stillborn baby, James Fulton, prayed through the intercession of Sheen and their son miraculously recovered.”

“On June 17, 2014, the seven-member theological commission that advises the congregation unanimously agreed with the medical team’s finding,” it added.