The bishop of Crato, in the interior of Ceará, d. Magnus Henrique, announced this Saturday morning, 20th, that the Catholic Church authorized the start of the beatification process of Father Cícero Romão Batista. The information was disclosed to the faithful at a mass in celebration of the “patriarch of the Northeast”, as the religious leader is also called. With the decision, the priest takes on the title of “servant of God”. The announcement was shared by the Vatican agency Vatican News.
“Pulmers from all over Brazil, it is with great joy that I communicate to you, this historic morning, that we have officially received from the Holy See, by order of the Holy Father, Pope Francis, a letter from the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, dated the 24th. June 2022. We received authorization for the opening of the beatification process of the Cícero Romão Batista process, which from now on will receive the title of Servant of God”, he declared.
At an open-air mass at Largo da Capela do Socorro, in Juazeiro do Norte, the announcement was received with applause and fireworks. “With the opening, the prophecy made by the priest himself is fulfilled: ‘The Church that persecutes me today, tomorrow will take my defense’”, highlighted the diocese on social media.
The request for beatification was requested by the Bishop of Crato in a letter he personally delivered to Pope Francis in May, during a visit to the Vatican. There is no deadline for completing the beatification process.
To Estadão, the parish vicar of the Cathedral of Crato, Father Wesley Barros, attributed the recognition to a work of dialogue opened by the diocese. On the trip on which he delivered the letter, the bishop also met with authorities of the Holy See to discuss the matter. “He found a very favorable environment.”
The vicar points out that there was already an effort to historically review the image of Father Cícero with the Church, especially in the last 20 years. “This review made it possible for Father Cícero’s attitudes to be seen from a different angle”, he evaluates. He sees the old conflicts with the Church, which resulted in Father Cicero’s disciplinary suspension, as being overcome after the pardon was issued in 2015. “The Holy See has closed the matter.”
According to him, the letter about the start of the beatification process was received on August 7. “It is a moment of blessing, of joy, of confirmation on the part of the Church for all the welcoming work that we give to pilgrims”, he describes.
As the diocese holds a celebratory mass for Father Cícero monthly on the 20th at 6 am, the date for the official announcement was decided. “We chose it because there would be a crowd of pilgrims and people from Juazer, and also to announce to the whole world, through social networks”, he justifies.
According to the vicar, a few thousand people were at the mass. A new official opening ceremony for the cause for the beatification will be held on a date yet to be determined, possibly after October.
In addition, he emphasizes that the diocese will be responsible for the cause of beatification. The next step is to assemble a team of experts from different backgrounds, including religious and lay people, to assess Father Cícero’s legacy. The diocese believes that there is a lot of material ready, from historical records to diverse academic research.
Father Cícero was born in 1844, in Crato, and died in 1934, at the age of 90, in Juazeiro do Norte, also in Ceará, where the famous 27-meter high statue in his honor is located, destination of pilgrimages that attract about 2.5 meters million people a year. Considered a “popular saint”, he was celebrated during his lifetime, with the attribution of miracles by the population, which earned him a suspension of priestly attributions by the Church. He also wielded strong political power in the region.
As in other cases of “popular saints”, the recognition of the “Padim Ciço”, as it is popularly known, faced resistance from the clergy. Historians say that the priest’s relationship with the Brazilian clergy at the time was no longer good because of his involvement with politics. In addition to being a priest, he was also a farmer and politician, affiliated with a party. He was the first mayor of Juazeiro do Norte, in 1911, when the village was elevated to the city, and he became vice-governor.
In 1889, the priest’s trajectory began to change. In that year, when placing the consecrated host in the mouth of the devout Maria de Araújo, the piece of wheat would have turned into blood. The “miracle of the host” soon spread throughout the region. The phenomenon would have repeated itself several times during two years. Word of mouth narratives pointed to Christ himself manifesting himself in Juazeiro through a blessed woman and by the hands of a holy priest.
At his request, the diocese formed a commission with two priests, two doctors and a pharmacist to investigate the alleged miracle. In October 1891, the commission came to the conclusion that there was no natural explanation for the facts, then considered miraculous. Dissatisfied, Bishop d. Joaquim José Vieira appointed another commission, composed only of a priest and his secretary, which considered the “miracle” a fraud. The bishop accepted this result and suspended Father Cicero’s priestly orders. He also determined that Maria de Araújo be removed from the church.
In 1898, Father Cicero went to Rome and met with Pope Leo XIII and with members of the Congregation of the Holy Office. He would have obtained his acquittal, but on his return to Juazeiro, the decision was reviewed by the Vatican. The excommunication of the religious was even announced, however, it was discovered later that the punishment had not been applied. In 2001, when he was still a cardinal, Pope Benedict XVI ordered an investigation into the case, seeing the possibility of rehabilitating the Brazilian priest before the Church. In 2006, Bishop d. Fernando Panico traveled to the Vatican with a commission of religious, political and faithful to defend the rehabilitation. In December 2015, Father Cícero received a pardon from the Church. (*WITH INFORMATION FROM JOSÉ MARIA TOMAZELLA)
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