Shia LaBeouf has officially been confirmed as a member of the Catholic Church, and he’s already considering becoming a deacon.
According to The Catholic News Agency, the Transformers star was confirmed Sunday by Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota.
“We are thrilled to share that our dear friend Shia LaBeouf has fully entered the Church this past weekend through the sacrament of confirmation,” the Capuchin Franciscans from Western American Province share on Facebook.
LaBeouf’s confirmation sponsor, Brother Alexander Rodriguez, shared the actor has expressed interest in becoming a deacon “sometime in the future.”
“He just spontaneously said, ‘I want to become a deacon,’ and he still feels that way,” Rodriguez said.
LaBeouf converted to Catholicism while filming Padre Pio. LaBeouf was raised by his Jewish mother and Christian father, and had both a bar mitzvah and a baptism.
He has credited Mel Gibson, director of The Passion of the Christ, for introducing him to the Catholic faith.
“[Gibson] was cautious with me,” LaBeouf said. “Many years ago, I went to his house and told him to his face that his religious views and politics were a hindrance to his craft. He giggled with grace and told me to read about the Maccabees. As I fell forward, he always remained supportive.”
The actor has shared previously that he was drawn to Catholicism due to his struggle with alcohol and difficulties in his personal life, including a December 2020 lawsuit filed by former girlfriend FKA Twigs, who accused him of “relentless abuse,” sexual battery, assault and emotional distress.” (A trial is tentatively scheduled for later this fall.)
