The Decree introducing the Cause and the naming of the Tribunal was published on July 31, 2000 in Guatemala City. The opening session of the diocesan phase of the process was presided over by the Archbishop of Guatemala City, Prospero Penados del Barrio. After hearing all the witnesses and collecting the documentation relating to the life and virtues of Ernesto Cofiño, this diocesan phase finished on April 5, 2001.
The Postulation for the Cause has received news of favors attributed to his intercession from all over Central America, Mexico, the United States, Australia, France, Spain and Poland