Archbishop Teofilo Camomot's sainthood was elevated by Pope Francis on Saturday, May 21 after he was declared as "venerable".
The Cebuano prelate's heroic virtues were approved by the pope after a meeting with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, according to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
After a meeting with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the pope approved the heroic virtues of the Cebuano prelate.
Born in the city of Carcar, Archbishop Camomot was ordained to the priest for the Archdiocese of Cebu in 1941.
“His dedication to the poor and detachment from material possessions were the trademarks of his ministry,” the Cebu archdiocese said in a statement.
Archbishop Camomot, it added, was also “known for his fame of sanctity during his life, his death and after his death”.
CBCP said that in December 2010, the archdiocese, during the incumbency of Cardinal Ricardo Vidal, opened the diocesan phase of the cause of the archbishop’s beatification and canonization.
Upon the advice of the Vatican, Archbishop Jose Palma authorized the reopening of the diocesan process on the life, virtues and fame of sanctity of Archbishop Camomot.
CBCP stated that the cardinals and bishops in the ordinary session of May 3, chaired by Cardinal Semeraro, affirmed that the Filipino prelate exercised the theological, cardinal and concomitant virtues to a heroic degree.
"The pope would have to recognize a miracle attributed to the archbishop’s intercession in order for him to be beatified, the next step toward sainthood. A second miracle would be needed for canonization," CBCP explained.