| Bishop Fulton John Sheen (May 8, 1895--December 9, 1979) is an important but neglected figure in Cold War History. He contributed more than any other Catholic leader to the formation of the Cold War consensus. His role has been overlooked and little understood. Sheen's extreme antipathy to communism led him to forsake a more scholarly existence to become a popularizer that would appeal to the masses. He wanted them to understand what a threat that ideology presented to America and the world. By appealing to a broad audience beyond the confines of the Catholic Church he helped set the stage for the coming together of Protestants, Jews and Catholics during the early days of the Cold War as the consensus began to form. His broadcasts and writings during the 1930s and early 1940s made the Catholic Church seem more within the American mainstream and less as a movement controlled by a foreign ruler, the Pope.;The arrival of the Cold War in the late 1940s allowed Sheen to appeal to Jews and Protestants to join him in a "Holy War" against atheistic communism. He could call for Jews and Protestants to join against a common enemy because he had already worked to remove the barriers between the faiths that would hinder them coming together to face a common enemy. Sheen's efforts in the 1930s and 1940s helped assure that religion would not prevent the formation of the Cold War consensus.;Sheen's accomplishment is remarkable in light of the fact that he remained completely devoted to his faith throughout his life. He was not a modern man; in fact, he envisioned himself in the mold of a medieval crusader going forth to vanquish the foe that threatened Western Civilization. Paradoxically, in his quest he used every means available to him, including the new medium of television, which made him the forerunner of modern tele-evangelists. Sheen's program, Life Is Worth Living appeared first on the Dumont Network and later on ABC from 1951--1957. No other Catholic leader appeared in the national spotlight as much as Sheen during the early Cold War. |
