Bishop Fulton Sheen to be beatified in St Louis in step toward sainthood

Bishop Fulton Sheen, one of the most recognisable Catholic figures in American broadcasting history, is to be beatified in St Louis, bringing him a significant step closer to official sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church.

Sheen rose to national prominence through his television programme 'Life Is Worth Living', on which he charmed and inspired millions of viewers across the United States. His warm manner and compelling presence made him one of the most widely watched religious broadcasters of his era.

Beatification is the third of four stages in the Catholic path to sainthood, representing formal Church recognition that a candidate has lived a life of heroic virtue and is worthy of veneration.