Vatican confirms Pedro’s miracle

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

CEBU CITY -- One more step, and the country may soon have its first Visayan saint.

Pope Benedict XVI has promulgated a decree acknowledging the miraculous healing attributed to the intercession of a Visayan martyr, Blessed Pedro Calungsod, said Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma.

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The next step will be the announcement of the date of canonization, which will officially include the name of Pedro Calungsod in the list of saints recognized by the Catholic Church.

“Yes, the Pope has approved the miracle required for canonization,” Archbishop Palma said in a text message. “We just have to wait for the schedule of the canonization ceremony.”

Pedro Calungsod was a teenager martyred in Guam in 1672 with a Spanish Jesuit priest, now Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores.

It was Blessed Pope John Paul II who beatified Calungsod on March 5, 2000.

The Archdiocese of Cebu, under the direction of now Archbishop Emeritus of Cebu Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, submitted a case of an “unexplained healing” of a Cebuana.

Cardinal Vidal told Sun.Star Cebu Tuesday the identity of the person could not be revealed, “to respect her privacy.”

“Let us pray that the Holy Father will tell us when the canonization would be,” he said.

The 80-year-old prelate said there would still be a votation that would be conducted among all the cardinals.

“We would say ‘positive’ or ‘negative’, which indicates whether the cardinals approve of the canonization of the candidates,” he said.

In a separate interview, Msgr. Ildebrando Leyson explained that in order for the Pope to declare a candidate a saint, he needs a miracle.

“Now, at last there is a miracle na gi-declare ni Pope. Now, canonization will be determined,” he said.

There are four stages to canonization, which would require separate studies by doctors, theologians and selected cardinals.

“Yesterday (Tuesday), the Pope promulgated that there was a miracle, there was divine intervention or that a divine sign or something supernatural that would indeed confirm that Calungsod is a saint, that he is in heaven,” Leyson said.

Leyson, the postulator for the cause of canonization of Blessed Pedro Calungsod, said the next step after the promulgation of the decree would be the votation among the cardinals.

“All the cardinals would be sent a copy of the biography of Blessed Pedro Calungsod. (A letter) informing them there is a Blessed to be canonized by the Pope,” he said.

He added that after the cardinals have been informed formally and say whether they agree or are “of one mind”, then the Vatican Secretary of State will assign the date of actual proclamation of the canonization.

Cardinal Vidal said after the announcement of the decree by Vatican, the letters are most likely already being sent to all cardinals. But he has not received any kind of correspondence yet.

The Vatican News Service announced on Monday evening that aside from Calungsod, Filipino lay catechist and martyr (1654-1672), there are six other candidates for canonization.

These are: Italian priest Blessed Giovanni Battista Piamarta, French martyr and Jesuit priest Blessed Jacques Berthieu, Spanish foundress of the Conceptionist Missionary Sisters of Teaching Blessed Maria del Carmen and American Blessed Maria Anna Cope, nee Barbara, German religious of the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis.

The others are laywomen American Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha and German Blessed Anna Schaffer.

There are also five candidates who are still in the early stages to sainthood, with the title servant of God.

Cardinal Vidal has been appointed by Archbishop Palma as overall chairman for the preparation for the archdiocese-wide celebration of Calungsod’s canonization.

Vidal said his first task would be organizing the group of pilgrims who will go to Vatican City to witness the canonization of Pedro Calungsod.

He said there are no specific people who would be joining the congregation, only those who wish to join the group and individuals who can pay for their own accommodation and travel expenses.

But Archbishop Palma, auxiliary bishops, and devotees are sure to join the group. The thanksgiving mass would be held by the Archdiocese after the canonization rites in Rome.

“It’s a witnessing,” said Cardinal Vidal of the canonization of the country’s second saint. The first was Saint Lorenzo Ruiz of Manila.

“We have to look up to them, they are raised to the altars of sainthood for others to follow or emulate,” he added. (BAP of Sun.Star Cebu)