Pope Leo XIV on Monday approved the advancement of the beatification cause for Boys Town founder Father Edward J. Flanagan, declaring him “venerable.” The Irish-born priest, revered for his revolutionary approach to caring for homeless and impoverished children in the 20th century, famously said there was “no such thing as a bad boy, only bad environment, bad modeling, and bad teaching.” His life and legacy were immortalized in the 1938 movie “Boys Town,” starring Spencer Tracy, who won an Oscar for his portrayal of the priest.
