World News
Archbishop Fulton Sheen set for beatification following approved miracle
The late 20th-century television evangelist will be beatified in St. Louis after years of procedural delays.
The short version
- Late Archbishop Fulton Sheen is scheduled to be beatified as 'Blessed Fulton Sheen' on Sept. 24 in St. Louis, Missouri.
- The Catholic Church recognized the 2010 recovery of an infant born without a pulse as a miracle attributed to Sheen's intercession.
- Pope Leo XIV authorized the beatification in February following earlier delays related to legal reviews in New York state.
- Church officials are reviewing five potential additional miracles required to consider Sheen for full sainthood.
Key facts
- Archbishop Fulton Sheen, a pioneering religious broadcaster who died in 1979, is scheduled to be beatified on Sept. 24 in St. Louis.[Associated Press]
- The Vatican recognized the 2010 resuscitation of James Fulton Engstrom, an infant born without a pulse, as a miracle attributed to prayers for Sheen's intercession.[Associated Press]
- Pope Leo XIV approved the beatification in February following previous postponements.[Associated Press]
- A planned 2019 ceremony was previously delayed at the request of the Diocese of Rochester amid New York state investigations into clergy abuse oversight, though officials later found no cause to halt Sheen's advancement.[Associated Press]
- Peoria Bishop Louis Tylka stated that the diocese has five potential additional miracles under investigation to potentially qualify Sheen for canonization as a saint.[Associated Press]
What remains uncertain
- Whether any of the five potential miracles currently under investigation will be officially authenticated by the Vatican to meet the requirement for full sainthood.[Associated Press]