Pope Leo XIV Hails Fulton Sheen as Inspiration Ahead of Beatification

Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday praised Archbishop Fulton Sheen, the American radio and television preacher, as an inspiration on the eve of his beatification. Speaking to English-speaking pilgrims at his general audience in St. Peter's Square, the pope urged them to follow Sheen's example by finding new ways to spread the Christian faith "with joyful enthusiasm."

The pope, who grew up in Chicago, has said that Sheen's broadcasts formed part of his family's faith formation. In a June 1 address to directors of The Pontifical Mission Societies, which Sheen led in the United States for 16 years, Leo recalled watching the archbishop's evangelization efforts as a child. He described Sheen as "a beacon of faith, hope, and love who shone through radio and television for decades," noting that his broadcasts reached millions with the hope of the Gospel and provided spiritual and material support to churches in areas of first evangelization.

Sheen, who died in 1979, was a pioneering evangelist. His 1950s television series, "Life is Worth Living," brought moral and religious lessons into millions of American homes, with Sheen standing at a chalkboard in a cassock, cape and skullcap. According to the Catholic University of America, where he studied and taught before becoming a bishop, Sheen won an Emmy Award, appeared on the cover of Time Magazine and became one of the most influential Catholics of the 20th century.

His beatification, the first step toward possible sainthood, is set for Thursday in St. Louis, Missouri. Cardinal Luis Tagle, the Vatican's top evangelization official, will celebrate the Mass. The ceremony follows a yearslong process. Pope Francis had confirmed a miracle attributed to Sheen's intercession in 2019 and scheduled the beatification for that December in Peoria, Illinois, but the Vatican postponed it with less than three weeks' notice to investigate Sheen's handling of priests accused of abuse during his tenure as a bishop. The investigation found no wrongdoing, and after a six-year delay the Vatican gave the green light in February for Thursday's beatification.