Philippines opens sainthood cause for Claretian missionary
Father Rhoel Gallardo was murdered by a Muslim terrorist group more than 20 years ago
The Territorial Prelature of Isabela in the Philippines has begun the formal process to have Father Rhoel Gallardo declared a saint. (Photo courtesy of the Territorial Prelature of Isabela)
The cause has begun in the Philippines for the beatification of a Claretian missionary priest murdered by Muslim extremists in the south of the country more than 20 years ago.
The Territorial Prelature of Isabela in Basilan province in the Mindanao region said it hopes Father Rhoel Gallardo will eventually be declared a saint.
Assailants vandalize chapels in southern Philippines
Churchmen fear desecrations in Mindanao may have been an attempt to stoke unrest between Catholics and Muslims
Catholic lay ministers sprinkle ash on the head of a faithful during Ash Wednesday Mass at a church in Manila on Feb. 17, marking the start of the Lenten season. (Photo: Jam Sta Rosa/AFP)
Church officials in the Philippines have condemned recent attacks on several chapels in Basilan province in the Mindanao region during which religious items were desecrated.
The attacks in the Muslim-majority region took place just before Catholic worshippers at St. Isidore and Immaculate Conception chapels in Lamitan City were about to celebrate Ash Wednesday on Feb. 17.
The desecration of religious statues in two chapels in Lamitan City in Southern Mindanao should not stand in the way of peace-building efforts, Bishop Leo Dalmao said in a statement for all the faithful in the prelature of Isabela de Basilan.