 Batista was canonized by the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church, an Independent Catholic church.He is not recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church, though Pope Benedict XVI proposed a study on Padre Cícero as a candidate for canonization.On 13 December 2015, as part of the opening ceremonies of the Holy Year proclaimed by Pope Francis, the Bishop of Crato, Fernando Panico, M.S.C., declared the rehabilitation of Batista's status with the Roman Catholic Church.