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ARCHBISHOP Teofilo Camomot lived a simple and austere life. During the Second Vatican Council, he did not fly to Rome. He traveled fourth class on a ship to reach Europe. Even though he was in Europe, his generosity, especially with the poor, and his simplicity shone and was noticed by the people around him.

The good archbishop died in a vehicular accident on Sept. 27, 1988 at the age of 74. Thousands of people mourned his death, and accompanied him to his resting place in Barangay Valladolid, Carcar, his hometown.

It is said that his body remained incorruptible 20 years after his death. His body may have decomposed. But forensic experts noted two uncommon aspects about the prelate’s remains.

“On opening the wood casket, the remains and clothes of the decedent was noted to be in pristine condition, uncorrupted by any form of infestation and insect activity. There was a remarkable absence of foul smell and odor of decay,” said Dr. Erwin Erfe, head of the forensic team that examined the skeletal remains of Camomot.

“In my 15 years as forensic-anthropologist, this is the first time I have encountered something like this. This is something unique,” he added. “Usually, there is an odor of decay whenever we examine remains even decades after the death of the person. And usually, the remains are infested with insects, considering that the coffin is made of wood. But in the case of Archbishop Camomot, there’s no foul smell and his remains were not infested with insects.”

Dr. Erfe said it is now up to the Vatican’s Causes for the Congregation of Saints to determine whether or not to declare Camomot a saint, not just based on his remains, but on the virtues lived by the well-loved prelate who is now a candidate for sainthood. He said the archdiocese took the fourth, left rib that was close to Camomot’s heart as a relic, or a tangible item for veneration, in case the archbishop is beatified or canonized.

The skeletal remains of Camomot were exhumed and interred at the Domus Teofilo (House of Teofilo) in Barangay Valladolid, Carcar City after a Mass that was celebrated by Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma. Camomot’s remains were placed on a fiberglass effigy and laid on a white coffin, which was sealed by Palma. Exhuming his remains was part of the process for sainthood.

Palma said calls for the canonization of Camomot started even after the latter’s death in 1988. However, at the time, the Cebu archdiocese was still processing the sainthood of Visayan martyr Pedro Calungsod.

When Calungsod was declared a saint in 2012, the archdiocese immediately petitioned the Vatican to allow the local church to process the cause for sainthood of Camomot.

“Thanks be to God, the process is moving fast,” Palma said. Palma was assigned by Cardinal Vidal to continue with the process of canonization of Camomot, before Vidal passed away in 2017.

In November 2017, the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints approved the diocesan process for the cause of sainthood of Camomot. The diocesan process included gathering of the documents and writings of Camomot, as well as the testimonies of witnesses who had personal encounters with the archbishop.

“Even over 30 years after his death, Monsignor Lolong’s life is still relevant. He encountered the Messiah in the sacraments, the poor and the simplicity of his life. He became the refuge of many people. And so let us strive hard to somehow imitate him,” Palma said.

Last May 21, 2022, Pope Francis gave the title of “Venerable” to Archbishop Camomot, which is a step closer to being formally recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church.

The move — which also recognized Camomot as having lived a life of “heroic virtue” — is a major development in advancing his cause for sainthood. The Church would then need to attribute one miracle to Camomot for him to be beatified as “Blessed,” and another for him to be canonized and declared a “Saint.”

The Archdiocese of Cebu led the cause for Camomot’s sainthood beginning in 2010. After a process that involved interviewing 45 witnesses who knew Camomot personally, a “Positio” on the life, virtues and fame of sanctity was submitted in 2020 to the Congregation of the Causes of Saints, the Vatican commission that vets the process of sainthood.

In October 2021, a congress of nine theological consultants unanimously affirmed Camomot’s virtuous life. This was also affirmed by the congregation’s cardinals and bishops, and was later presented in a report to Pope Francis by Marcello Cardinal Semeraro, the prefect of the congregation.

Other Filipino venerables include Mother Ignacia del Espiritu Santo, founder of the first native Filipino female congregation now known as the Religious of the Virgin Mary (RVM), and Bishop Alfredo Maria Obviar, the former bishop of Lucena, Quezon.

Two Filipinos have already been recognized as saints: San Lorenzo Ruiz of Manila, in 1987, and San Pedro Calungsod of Cebu, in 2012. Both were lay martyrs who died as missionaries in foreign lands. The earlier saints were lay people who practiced their faith. The third saint saw the sacred in the ordinary, and turned every day into a day of healing and grace.