Pope Leo XIV offers ‘personal testimony’ of Archbishop Sheen’s impact

By Howard Packowitz

VATICAN CITY (25 News) – Pope Leo XIV paid tribute on Monday to Venerable Archbishop and El Paso native Fulton J. Sheen, who is on the path to sainthood in the Catholic Church.

The pontiff mentioned Sheen at the Vatican while speaking to missionary leaders from 122 countries, noting Sheen will be beatified Sept. 24 in St. Louis.

“Archbishop Sheen was a light of faith, hope, and love that shone through the radio and television media for decades. I myself am a witness of his evangelization when I was growing up. His broadcasts touched millions with the hope of the Gospel and his 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 and Diocesan Directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies throughout the world.”

Missionaries in the audience burst into lengthy applause by the pope’s remarks, said Monsignor Roger Landry, national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies USA and board member of the Archbishop Fulton Sheen Foundation.

“It was a spontaneous expression of gratitude for a man whose missionary zeal and evangelizing spirit continue to shape the life of the Church decades after his death,” said Landry.

“Pope Leo’s personal testimony of Sheen’s impact on his family’s practice and growth in the faith reflected what Archbishop Sheen dedicated his life to accomplishing: bringing people into an encounter with Jesus Christ and awakening the faithful to the mission of the Church,” Landry also said.

Later, Landry personally thanked the pope for mentioning Sheen.

“I also told him that we are praying that one day he may preside over an even greater celebration of Archbishop Sheen in Rome!”

Landry said he told the pope that after visiting Sheen’s tomb in Peoria, he visited Leo’s childhood home in the Chicago suburb of Dolton, where Sheen’s television program Life is Worth Living used to play.

Those looking for more information about Sheen’s beatification can click here.