CEBU CITY – The Archdiocese of Cebu on Friday mourned the death of a 68-year-old priest on Wednesday.
Archbishop Alberto Uy said the archdiocese “is deeply saddened by the untimely demise of Rev. Fr. Decoroso ‘Cocoi’ Olmilla.”
Uy said an in-depth investigation showed that Olmilla’s “mental health collapsed and he has succumbed to the unexpected tragic end of taking his own life.”
“We invite everyone to pray that Fr. Cocoi may in the end find peace with his Creator,” Uy said.
The archdiocese appealed to the public for understanding and compassion.
“We appeal, on behalf of his family members, for everyone to respect their privacy at this time of such tragic loss and so allow them to grieve in dignity and peace,” he said.
“As we mourn, we also humbly ask forgiveness for the wounds that this death may have caused on the faith of the faithful. In humility, we can only continue to trust that God’s mercy may remain greater than our human failure,” Uy said.
Olmilla was found dead in a condominium in Barangay Mabolo here. The priest was bloodied with a wound in the neck when he was found.
He was ordained in 1983. He became controversial when he was accused of physically and verbally abusing his cook’s 15-year-old daughter in Mandaue City in 2018.