Scorsese’s Neo-Hagiography: Distorting Sanctity for Modernist Consumption
The Fox Nation series “The Saints,” produced by Martin Scorsese and Matti Leshem, purports to showcase “extraordinary Catholic men and women” including St. Patrick, St. Peter, and the controversial Carlo Acutis. The project claims inspiration from Leshem’s childhood in an Assumptionist school, framing saints as mere “stories of humanity” rather than supernatural exemplars of virtue. Jesuit Fr. James Martin participates in post-episode discussions alongside secular commentators, completing this syncretic approach to hagiography. The series explicitly targets youth amid what Leshem calls a “spiritual crisis,” presenting sanctity as psychological resilience rather than doctrinal fidelity.









