Pope Francis has just brought another Filipino figure closer to sainthood after bestowing Archbishop Teofilo Camomot the title of “Venerable.”
The Archdiocese of Cebu made the announcement on social media on Saturday.
“On May 21, 2022 the Holy Father Pope Francis authorized Marcello Cardinal Semeraro, Prefect of the Congregation of the Causes of Saints in the Vatican, to promulgate a decree on the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Archbishop Teofilo Bastide Camomot, granting him the title of Venerable,” the Archdiocese said in a statement.
“Known for his fame of sanctity during his life, his death and after his death, the diocesan process of the cause of his beatification and canonization was opened for the first time in the archdiocese of Cebu on December 27, 2010,” the Archdiocese said, adding that the process took place during the time of Ricardo Cardinal Vidal.
Camomot was born in 1914 in the town of Carcar in Cebu, and was ordained into priesthood in 1941. The late archbishop was best known for dedication to the poor and detachment from material possessions. Camomot founded the Carmelite Tertiaries of the Blessed Eucharist in Misamis Occidental in November 1959. After staying for 12 years in Cagayan de Oro, he resigned as Coadjutor Archbishop and returned to Cebu in 1970. He died in a vehicular accident on September 27, 1988. He was then 74 years old.
If a miracle under his intercession takes place, Camomot can be bestowed with the “Blessed,” title, a step away from following the likes of Saint Lorenzo Ruiz and Saint Pedro Calungsod to become one of the few Filipino saints.
The Catholic Church bestows the “Venerable” title upon a deceased person who is recognized formally by the pope as having led a heroically virtuous life or someone who offered their life.
