President Donald Trump praised the American bishop who received a groundbreaking honor this week and his legacy of fighting communism and “the rising tide of anti-God extremism in American culture.”

On September 24, the Catholic Church officially granted Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, the 20th-century theologian, historian, and Emmy-winning radio and TV personality, the title “blessed.” I had the honor of attending the beatification Mass in St. Louis, Mo. (read about my experience here). Trump released a statement on the historic occasion of “the first-ever American-born bishop to be beatified by the Catholic Church.”

“Born on the plains of central Illinois at the twilight of the nineteenth century, Fulton Sheen was blessed with extraordinary intelligence, good humor, and eloquence,” the president affirmed. “After his ordination to the priesthood, he spent more than two decades teaching, lecturing, and broadcasting on the radio before he was consecrated Auxiliary Bishop of New York in 1951.” This “world-class preacher and evangelist” became a national sensation due to his popular television series, Life Is Worth Living.

For Our VIPs: America’s New Blessed, Fulton Sheen, Was a Great Preacher Against Communism

Trump continued:

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On his show, Archbishop Sheen lectured before a live audience on an array of theological, philosophical, and political topics.  Dressed in striking priestly robes and armed with only a chalk stick and blackboard, he quickly emerged as a primetime sensation—boldly bringing the teachings of Christianity to a world threatened by the titanic forces of communism.

Archbishop Sheen shocked the entertainment industry by besting American legends like Milton Berle and Frank Sinatra in weekly ratings, winning an Emmy award for Most Outstanding Television Personality, and appearing on the cover of Timemagazine.

People shocked by the horrors of the Holocaust, World War, and Communist massacres were hungry for meaning and hope. Sheen could offer them what no secular celebrity could.

The bishop with his “sharp wit and piercing intellect filled millions of American living rooms and converted thousands—including national politicians, Hollywood celebrities, and communist leaders—to the Catholic faith,” Trump continued. “His program attracted an estimated 30 million weekly viewers, ultimately becoming one of the most watched religious programs in the history of television. Through it all, Archbishop Sheen used his platform not for his own sake but to strengthen our Nation with the good news of the Gospel.”

Trump particularly promoted Sheen’s warning against a “new type of violence that’s sweeping our country, our schools, and our streets,” which “involves destruction of everything that is in the past.” People cry “down with” everything from churches to police, but there can be no building downward. Sheen offered the rallying cry “up to God.” Watch the clip below.

As the bishop of Rochester, New York, and then titular archbishop of Newport, Wales, Sheen continued to inspire up until his death in 1979. “Sheen’s legacy endures in homes, churches, and communities all across our country.,” Trump reflected. “Countless Americans still watch recordings of his broadcasts and read his books. The Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Museum in his native Illinois attracts thousands of visitors every year. And today, as thousands of Americans gather in St. Louis, Missouri, for his Beatification Mass, we pray that Archbishop Sheen’s heroic commitment to nourishing the soul of our country will inspire others to follow his example and lift our Nation upward and ever higher to God.” 

Bl. Fulton Sheen, pray for America.