What happen to Bishop Fulton Sheen sainthood?

[Alexjpr53]

What to the cause for Bishop Fulton Sheen sainthood? Because of everything that has happen with the virus and the riots, it seems like everyone forgot about Fulton Sheen beatification. I been listing to him a lot and I can say his work has helped with my faith. So, is his beatification still on hold? What happened?

 

[StudentMI]

From my understanding it was a weird series of events. When investigating his life they found no accounts of his tolerating sexual abuse or moving clergy etc. Then when they were getting ready for the ceremony the NY attorney general was conducting an investigation of the history of sexual abuse in the Church in NY. They held up the ceremony to make sure Sheen’s name wouldn’t be tarnished. So they held it up for something that had already been investigated.

I could be wrong.

 

[phil19034]

From my understanding it was a weird series of events. When investigating his life they found no accounts of his tolerating sexual abuse or moving clergy etc. Then when they were getting ready for the ceremony the NY attorney general was conducting an investigation of the history of sexual abuse in the Church in NY. They held up the ceremony to make sure Sheen’s name wouldn’t be tarnished. So they held it up for something that had already been investigated.

I could be wrong.

That’s basiclly it. A few bishops (who had nothing to do with the investigation) petitioned the Pope to suspend the process because of the NY State investigation.

They either feared that his name might come in some documents or they feared that someone might make something up about him.

In other words, they didn’t want his Beatification anywhere near (timewise) the NYS investigation.

 

[Alexjpr53]

I believe that too but it’s at least 5 months and nothing new has come up. It’s like everyone forgot. It just wired to me this hasn’t come back up.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

First, there is a new book out on Archbishop Sheen by his niece. It just came out in the last couple months and was covered by the press.

Second, right now the US is concerned with COVID-19 for several months and more recently, race issues, as well as the upcoming election, so you are not going to hear much about Sheen’s sainthood cause.

Third, they are likely going to put his cause on hold at least until the time window closes for any new clergy sex abuse lawsuits in the Diocese of Rochester, at minimum. On August 14, 2019, a new law allowed a one-year time frame for filing sex abuse lawsuits in New York State even if the statute of limitations has expired. Hundreds of suits have been filed and probably many more will be filed before August 14, 2020 when the window expires. I would imagine all those new suits have to be looked at to make sure Sheen isn’t involved in any of them. His beatification is therefore a long way off. His cause might not even revive until we change Popes. I also thought the New York state AG was at some point going to release a report on the cases in Diocese of Rochester and if so that would have to be looked at too.

If you would like to see him become a saint, just pray for his cause. I do. I’m sure he’s already a saint anyway regardless of whether the Church recognizes it. But it’s pretty clear the next US beatification is going to be Fr. McGivney and that’s where all the attention will be going for this year.

 

[ImJustPro]

Fulton Sheen is very much admired by both Catholics and Protestants. He absolutely deserves to be made a saint. His speeches on communism and capitalism were great. I’m glad many of them have been uploaded to YouTube:

 

[po18guy]

IIRC, at one point, his family halted the process by refusing an exhumation. Then, I think two dioceses were bickering over who would handle the process.

Typical flawed human being stuff. Fr. Andrew Apostoli† C.F.R. was vice-postulator, and sadly, he died of cancer.

Is there any serious doubt that he was found acceptable to the Lord? He is chuckling about all the monkey motion down here on earth.