TITA CORY 'DEFINITELY A SAINT' SAYS TWO ARCHBISHOPS

Pres. Cory Aquino during a Press Conference

Another bishop on Tuesday pushed for the late President Corazon "Cory" Aquino's sainthood, believing that her canonization would encourage Filipinos to do good. "Being a saint is for everybody. If she will be saint, more people will be encouraged to do good," Maasim Archbishop Precioso Cantillas said. Cantillas said the late president is very much qualified to be declared a saint for living "a saintly life." Various groups and even several bishops have supported proposals to declare Mrs. Aquino a saint. The proposals came as millions of Filipinos mourn the death of the former president, who died of complications from colon cancer last August 1. In a most recent news item posted on the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines' website, Archbishop Ramon Arguelles said Mrs. Aquino is "definitely a saint." Arguelles, however, clarified that to become a saint, the Vatican must verify two miracles attributed to Mrs. Arroyo. He said declaring someone a saint may take centuries. “It’s not bad (Aquino as a saint). One who declares someone to be a saint is God and then the church will only affirm. Definitely she’s a saint,” Arguelles said. The bishop said if ever Vatican rejects proposals to declare Mrs. Aquino a saint, she would always be a "model," not only by Filipinos, but other people around the world. “That would be enough. In God’s own time, if God wants her to be a symbol for many people, then we can say that she’s really a saint on her political life... Saint of People Power,” he said. [ABS-CBN News Aug. 11, 2009]