Pope Leo Champions Sheen as Beatification Nears
"I myself am a witness of his evangelization," the American pontiff declared
Pope Leo has expressed support for Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s cause, as he praised the soon to be blessed and noted the impact Sheen had on his own life.
Hosting the Pontifical Mission Societies in audience on Monday morning, Leo XIV gave a notable hat-tip to the longtime former US national director of the PMS – Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen.
“Archbishop Sheen was a light of faith, hope, & love that shone through the radio and television media for decades,” said Leo.
Continuing, the American Pontiff also testified to the positive impact that Sheen had on his own life, stating: “I myself am a witness of his evangelization when I was growing up.”
Sheen served as national director of the PMS from 1950 through 1966, during which time he raised millions of dollars in support of the Church’s missionary activities throughout the world. It was during this same time that he also launched his wildly popular television series “Life is Worth Living,” and only left his role at the PMS after he was named as Bishop of Rochester.
“His broadcasts touched millions with the hope of the Gospel,” noted Leo, while adding that Sheen’s “initiatives and efforts resulted in enormous spiritual and material aid to the Churches in areas of first evangelization.”
“May our new Blessed be an example for all of the National & Diocesan Directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies throughout the world,” he closed.
Sheen will be beatified on September 24, in St. Louis Missouri, as per the Vatican’s March 25 announcement. Cardinal Antonio Tagle will perform the ceremony, with the cardinal Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization serving as the delegate of the Pope for the event.
Sheen’s canonization cause was formally opened in 2002, and the archbishop was declared a Venerable of the Church by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012.
In July 2019, the Vatican approved a miracle required to move Sheen’s cause to the beatification, setting a date of December 21, 2019. However just a few weeks prior to the ceremony, the Vatican – via Sheen’s home diocese of Peoria – postponed the ceremony “at the request of a few members of the Bishop’s Conference who have asked for further consideration.”
The diocesan statement was notably limited in information, although it did note that “it is important for the faithful to know that there has never been, nor is there now, any allegation against Sheen involving the abuse of a minor.” It later transpired that the Diocese of Rochester – Sheen’s own see – had requested a delay due to reviewing his role in overseeing priests in the diocese accused of sexual abuse.
At the time of the delay, much speculation abounded, in no small part fueled by the fact that Sheen embodied a practice of the Faith which many in the U.S. episcopate had come to reject, and thus beatifying him would put the Vatican’s seal of approval on his unashamed teaching of the Faith.
Writing an op-ed on the official Sheen Foundation website, a Peoria priest involved in promoting Sheen’s cause attested that it was an act of “sabotage.”
Monsignor James Kruse’s commentary – now deleted from the site and available only on archived versions – not only firmly defended Sheen from any accusation of malpractice which might deservedly delay his beatification, but also accused the Diocese of Rochester of deliberately seeking to destroy Sheen’s cause.
“When examining the pattern it is hard not to believe that the Diocese of Rochester acts more to sabotage the Cause and less to protect the good of the Church,” he wrote. Mgr. Kruse also presented a detailed timeline of the process, which he said “reveals that under the veneer of Rochester Diocese’s call for caution, more than an overwhelming majority of people would conclude that it is an unexplainable act of sabotage – a sabotage that simply hurts the faithful.”
Leo’s warmth towards Fulton Sheen is a welcome development, especially for many American Catholics who often were the focal point of Pope Francis’ pointed attacks. The American pontiff has not yet announced any plans to visit his home nation – something which has drawn criticism from those wishing him to honor the nation’s 250th birthday – but his closeness to Ven. Sheen denotes the manner in which Leo appears to currently wish to express his proximity with the Church in America.
Meanwhile, the Pontiff has downplayed suggestions of a direct international argument between himself and President Trump, after the Pope decried further escalation of the Iran war amid Trump’s threat of “civilization wide” destruction. The very active U.S. Embassy to the Holy See is currently served by a practicing Catholic – Brian Burch – who was a vocal supporter of Trump during the 2024 election, while also expressing his concerns about elements of Pope Francis’ pontificate.
Behind the scenes, the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See is still very active, and the spat which many secular media outlets are keen to conjure up between President and Pope is not as it seems.
What strikes me is not that Leo praises Fulton Sheen. That is entirely predictable.
The more interesting question is whether Catholics today evaluate men by their popularity, media success, and institutional approval, or by their fidelity to the Faith handed down before the revolution overtook the Church.
Sheen was a gifted communicator. Few would deny that. But gifted communication is not the measure of Catholic truth. The real question is whether the postconciliar trajectory he ultimately accepted brought greater clarity, greater unity, greater reverence, and greater fidelity to what Catholics had always believed.
Sixty years later, that question remains unanswered.
Two generations have now grown up amid doctrinal confusion, liturgical experimentation, collapsing vocations, and endless appeals to “trust the authorities.” At some point Catholics must evaluate the tree by its fruit rather than the reputation of its spokesmen.
The issue was never personality. The issue is principle.