Kristen and Austin Savage of Peoria experienced an unexpected encounter with Pope Leo XIV during their honeymoon in Rome in June 2025. The couple, who were married on June 7 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield, attended a papal audience at St. Peter’s Square, where they had a personal conversation with the pope.

“It was surreal,” Kristen said. “St. Peter’s Square is huge. We were sitting close to where the pope would be, and we were shaking. We couldn’t believe we were about to see the pope. It was a great blessing to be there.”

The Savages originally hoped for a newlywed blessing but did not anticipate direct interaction with Pope Leo XIV.

“We didn’t know if the pope was going to do a general blessing over all the newlyweds there or a group of four or five, but to our surprise, he started stopping at every single person,” Austin said.

When it came time to speak with the pontiff, they chose to advocate for Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s canonization. Sheen was born near Peoria and became an influential figure in Catholic media.

“I’d like to think Fulton Sheen was interceding for us to bring his canonization cause (to the Holy Father),” Kristen said. “When I saw the Holy Father, I said, ‘We’d really like to see his canonization,’ and who better to ask and plead our case to than the Holy Father himself.”

The couple reported that Pope Leo remembered watching Fulton Sheen on television as a child and acknowledged Sheen’s influence on him.

“What gave me a lot of hope was this is the first inclination or notice that Fulton Sheen was even on Pope Leo’s radar at all,” Austin said. “Being from Illinois, you always wondered, ‘Does the pope know about Fulton Sheen? Has he thought about him?’ We said, ‘Peoria,’ and he lit up.”

“Pope Leo was very conversational,” Kristen said. “He was easy to get along with. He was very warm and friendly, and he genuinely wanted to be there talking.”

“It just felt like you knew him,” Austin said. “Very normal, natural, casual.”

Fulton Sheen’s path toward sainthood has been marked by several milestones and setbacks. Declared “Venerable” in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI after recognition of his virtues—step two out of four toward sainthood—Sheen's beatification seemed imminent when Pope Francis approved a miracle attributed to his intercession in 2019: James Fulton Engstrom's unexplained recovery after not breathing for over an hour as a newborn in 2010 at a Peoria hospital.

A Beatification Mass scheduled for December 21, 2019 in Peoria was postponed following concerns raised by the Diocese of Rochester due to an ongoing New York State investigation into clergy abuse cases dating back decades when Sheen served as bishop there during the 1960s. No accusations were made against Sheen personally nor evidence found that he mishandled such cases; however, his beatification remains paused indefinitely.

Bishop Louis Tilka of Peoria continues efforts supporting Sheen's cause: “We believe that someday the Church will indeed catch up with Fulton Sheen, meaning that the Church will canonize him. But at present, we’re just working with the other dioceses and the Universal Church to move forward and move beyond the pause so that we can move to the beatification of Fulton Sheen.”

Though they did not discuss these details directly with Pope Leo XIV during their brief exchange, Kristen expressed optimism following their meeting:

“We went in with the hope that the Holy Spirit would use us to plead to the Holy Father, and the Holy Spirit will work on Pope Leo’s heart and get Sheen into his mind,” Kristen said. “The Holy Father did specifically say that he would remember what we said. So, that that gave us hope for Sheen’s canonization and maybe we will see it during Pope Leo’s pontificate.”

Pope Leo XIV's election date coincides with Fulton Sheen's birthday—May 8.

The Savages' connection with Venerable Sheen extends beyond admiration; they met each other at a themed event honoring him at Cathedral of St. Mary of Immaculate Conception in Peoria—the church where both his ordination took place and where he is buried—and regularly sought his intercession throughout marriage preparation.

“It was just very fitting given what Fulton Sheen spoke about during his life, that now all these couples at a Fulton Sheen event are being brought together,” Kristen said. “We like to think Sheen played a role in our relationship. So, that is why we brought it up to the Holy Father.”

After their discussion with Pope Leo XIV concluded—almost forgetting amidst conversation—the couple received his blessing over their marriage.

“We got so deep in conversation, the pope almost forgot to give the blessing. Right before the photo, we mentioned to the pope that we would be grateful for his blessing, and he was like, ‘Oh yeah,’” Kristen recalled.

Now returned home from Italy amid memories described as both holy blur and honor-filled experience visiting Catholic sites including St Peter's Basilica and Sistine Chapel—the Savages say they continue feeling grateful as newlyweds blessed by this unique moment.

“It was really unreal,” Austin reflected on seeing Rome firsthand while receiving such recognition from within Vatican walls.