A Head Start to Sainthood? Why Newly Blessed Fulton Sheen Could Be Canonized Quickly
Declared a ‘Blessed’ on Sept. 24, the American evangelist could be canonized a saint in as few as three years, thanks to an obscure Church rule on miracles.
3 days ago
The headline presents newly blessed Fulton Sheen as a possible candidate for a comparatively swift canonization, but the available information does not explain why or describe the process involved. 1*
Canonization reflects ecclesial discernment of sanctity and miracles
Yes. Canonization is an ecclesial judgment of sanctity, reached through a process that examines a person’s life and, ordinarily, miracles attributed to that person’s intercession. The Church proposes the canonized as models of Christian life and intercessors, recognizing in them the work of the Holy Spirit.
Miracles are not treated as isolated proof. The Church investigates alleged miracles, drawing on scientific or technical expertise and then theological judgment; they are understood as signs that confirm the Church’s discernment of a person’s virtuous life.
A helpful distinction: canonization does not automatically endorse every unusual or allegedly supernatural event in the person’s life. The Church’s 2024 norms explicitly say that even a Nihil obstat—a judgment that no doctrinal or moral obstacle prevents devotion—does not declare such phenomena authentic.