Venerable Fulton Sheen, the El Paso native who became a prominent TV personality and evangelist, will be beatified, the Vatican has advised the Peoria Diocese. This puts him one step closer to becoming a saint.

“The Holy See has informed me that the Cause for the Venerable Servant of God Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen can proceed to Beatification,” Peoria Bishop Louis Tylka said in a Monday statement. “The next step in the process is the celebration of beatification, in which Fulton Sheen would be declared Blessed.

“In the Catholic Church, beatification is the first major step to sainthood, granting a deceased person the title ‘Blessed’ and allowing limited public veneration (like in a region) after proving heroic virtue and one verified miracle. Canonization is the final step, declaring the person a saint, permitting reverence across the entire Church, and requiring a second miracle after beatification, making their veneration universal.”

Archbishop Sheen was declared Venerable when Pope Benedict XVI recognized his life of heroic virtue on June 28, 2012. The miracle attributed to Sheen’s intercession was recognized by Pope Francis on July 6, 2019.

Sheen was to have been beatified in late 2019, but the ceremony was canceled over allegations of sexual abuse in the Rochester Diocese when Sheen was bishop there. Monsignor Gray of the Peoria Diocese has since reported that the allegations against Sheen were unfounded.

No new date for beatification has been issued. Tylka said the date and event details will be released soon through celebratesheen.com.