Vatican City, May 25, 2011 / 10:58 am
The canonization of Archbishop Fulton Sheen moved a step closer today as the official document outlining his cause – known as a “positio” - was presented to Pope Benedict XVI.
“America is in need of a saint like Archbishop Sheen. He brought so many people closer to Christ during his life here on earth and continues to do so even today through his many writings, television and radio shows,” said Father Andrew Apostoli, Vice Postulator for the cause.
Archbishop Sheen was born in El Paso, Ill. in 1895 and ordained a priest in the Diocese of Peoria in 1909. Appropriately, it was Bishop Daniel Jenky of Peoria who presented the positio to Pope Benedict at the conclusion of his weekly audience in St. Peter’s Square. The book was bound in white silk and summarizes the life and holiness of the late archbishop.
The positio will be filed formally with the Congregation for Saints’ Causes as the initial step in the Vatican’s process to determine whether Archbishop Sheen should be beatified and canonized.