AmericanPapist Comments
According to Charlotte Allen's review of a bio of sheen in the 12/17/01 National Review, Sheen claimed to have gotten a second doctorate, in theology, when in fact he hadn't.
That strikes me as a fairly significant lie.
Doesn't that weigh pretty strongly against his heroic virtue, and hence the possibility of his beatification/canonization?
Or is Allen wrong? Or what?
Sounds like fulfilling maybe not the letter of the law, but definitely the spirit. Bishop Sheen came by his knowledge honestly enough.
I am following this cause with great anticipation. Bishop Sheen's great-niece is my next door neighbor.
If he is canonized, I hope they make him the patron saint of capes.
Panda: I don't think that claiming a credential one hasn't earned is fulfilling either the spirit or the letter of the 8th Commandment.
Kevin,
I think the book in question is Thomas Reeves' America's Bishop: The Life and Times of Fulton J. Sheen, well, at least according to Wikipedia. Have you read the book? Is it a convincing argument?
I just meant, the Bishop came to much of it by what he lived. He was wrong to claim a degree; but he lived long enough to fulfill it by what and how he lived. That's all.
Chris: No, I haven't read it. That's why I asked, "Or is Allen wrong? Or what?" (My impression of Charlotte Allen is that she's someone who'd generally like Sheen, and who wouldn't put something like that from the book into her review - without criticism of the claim - unless she thought it was credible, even obvious. But, again, that still isn't proof. That's why I asked the question.)
The guy authored 90 books. He was a machine... maybe not a saint but definitly a freakin' machine, man.
St. Mary of Egypt started out as prostitute. Bartolo Longo was once a satanist. There's one saint whose name I can't recall who was an actual murderer. He came home from work one night and saw the figures of a man and woman in bed. He took this for his wife and the neighbor, whipped out his sword and got to chopping. His wife came out of the other bedroom and informed him that those were his parents who'd stopped by for a surpise visit. Mr. Rash Judgement spent the rest of his life doing big time pennance and became a saint. And don't forget St. Margaret of Cortona who was a man's mistress for seven years. Archbishop Sheen's cannonization should be a no brainer.
dymphna: Yes, and there's also Augustine, who was a pretty serious sinner for a while.
And if Sheen did tell the lie - and then repented and retracted it - then I see no problem with his canonization (at least as far as that question is concerned).
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