%1

Robert Schuman, former French statesman, one step closer to sainthood

Robert Schuman, a French statesman who paved the way for the bloc that eventually evolved into the European Union, has moved ahead on the Catholic Church’s path toward possible sainthood.

On June 19, Pope Francis approved a decree declaring the “heroic virtues” of Schuman, a former prime minister, finance minister, and foreign minister for France after World War II. In 1950, as foreign minister, he developed a plan to promote European economic unity in hopes of furthering peace.