Bishop Fulton Sheen to be beatified in St. Louis, moving closer to sainthood

Bishop Fulton Sheen, a Catholic media figure who reached millions of television viewers through his show "Life Is Worth Living," will be beatified in St. Louis, moving him a step closer to sainthood, according to NPR.

Beatification is a stage in the Catholic Church's process for declaring someone a saint, typically requiring the church to recognize a miracle attributed to the candidate's intercession.

Sheen, who died in 1979, was known for his ability to communicate religious teachings to a broad audience through television at a time when the medium was still relatively new, earning him a reputation as one of the most prominent Catholic media personalities of his era.

His beatification reflects the Catholic Church's continued efforts to recognize influential religious figures from the 20th century whose work reached audiences beyond traditional church settings.

NPR's report did not specify the exact date of the beatification ceremony or the miracle that was recognized as part of the process.