San Romero De America
ETPAV
Offset, 1980s
Nicaragua
42220
CSPG’s Poster of the week celebrates Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero, and the declaration this week by Pope Francis that Romero was a martyr. This moves him closer to being declared a Saint, something many throughout the Americas already believe.
Romero was a conservative priest, and his appointment as Archbishop of San Salvador in 1977 was welcomed by the right wing Salvadoran government. It was simultaneously a big disappointment to many progressive priests who supported liberation theology, a religious movement which seeks to end economic and political injustice.
His change of consciousness perhaps began the same year, when Rutilio Grande, a progressive Jesuit priest and personal friend of Romero’s was assassinated for organizing the poor. The Salvadoran government ignored Romero’s requests to investigate the murder—probably because government supported death squads were behind it.
Romero began speaking out against poverty, social injustice, assassinations and torture. Violence and repression continued to escalate, and led to the Salvadoran Civil War (1979-1992) which was fueled by U.S. aid to the Salvadoran military. Romero criticized U.S. for giving military aid to the right-wing government, and in February 1980, Romero wrote to President Jimmy Carter, warning that increased US military aid would "undoubtedly sharpen the injustice and the political repression inflicted on the organized people, whose struggle has often been for their most basic human rights." Carter, concerned that El Salvador would become "another Nicaragua", ignored Romero's pleas and continued military aid to the Salvadoran government. U.S. aid to the Salvadoran government and death squads was increased under President Ronald Reagan.
On March 23, 1980, Romero delivered a now famous homily in which he urged soldiers to turn to their consciences and disregard orders to kill fellow Salvadorans.
"Brothers, you are all killing your fellow countrymen. No soldier has to obey an order to kill," he said. "It is time to regain your conscience. In the name of God and in the name of the suffering people I implore you, I beg you, I order you, stop the repression."
That sermon drew sharp rebuke from government officials, who said Romero was committing a crime in inciting rebellion. A day later, a gunman shot Romero through the heart as he celebrated Mass.
Romero’s Funeral Mass in San Salvador on March 30, 1980 was attended by more than 250,000 mourners from all over the world. During the ceremony, smoke bombs exploded on the streets near the cathedral and subsequently there were rifle shots that came from surrounding buildings, including the National Palace. Many people were killed by gunfire and in the stampede of people running away from the explosions and gunfire; between 30-50 died. Some witnesses claimed it was government security forces that threw bombs into the crowd, and army sharpshooters, dressed as civilians, that fired into the chaos from the balcony or roof of the National Palace.
Years later, a U.N. Truth Commission said the assassination was planned by Roberto D'Abuisson, notorious founder of the ARENA party and paramilitary death squads. D’Abuisson and the ARENA party had close ties with U.S.
Sources:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2015/02/05/why-its-such-a-big-deal-that-oscar-romero-was-declared-a-martyr-by-pope-francis/
http://latinola.com/story.php?story=9393
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/02/03/us/ap-us-ap-was-there-archbishop-slain.html?_r=0
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%93scar_Romero
http://fusion.net/story/43362/will-romeros-road-to-sainthood-shake-up-the-vatican/
film:
Romero (1989) starring Raul Julia as Archbishop Oscar Romero and Richard Jordan as Fr. Rutilio Grande.
Saint Romero of America March 24 Day of Peace in Central America
He was a conservative
priest. His appointment in
1977 as Archbishop of San Salvador, was welcomed by the government, but was a
disappointment to many priests, especially supporters of Liberation
Theology.
While this appointment was welcomed by the government, many priests were
disappointed, especially those openly aligning with
Marxism.
The progressive priests feared that his conservative reputation would
negatively affect
liberation theology's
commitment to the poor.
On 12 March 1977,
Rutilio Grande, a progressive
Jesuit
priest and personal friend of Romero who had been creating self-reliance groups
among the poor, was assassinated. His death had a profound impact on Romero,
who later stated, "When I looked at Rutilio lying there dead I thought,
'If they have killed him for doing what he did, then I too have to walk the
same path'".
[13]
Romero urged the government to investigate, but they ignored his request.
Furthermore, the censored press remained silent.
[14]
Tension was noted by the closure of schools and the lack of Catholic priests
invited to participate in government. In response to Fr. Rutilio's murder,
Romero revealed a radicalism that had not been evident earlier, speaking out
against poverty, social injustice, assassinations and torture.
[2]
In 1979, the
Revolutionary
Government Junta came to power amidst a wave of human rights abuses
by paramilitary right-wing groups and the government in an escalation of
violence that would become the
Salvadoran Civil War. Romero
criticized the
United States for giving
military aid to the new government and wrote to President
Jimmy
Carter in February 1980, warning that increased US military aid
would "undoubtedly sharpen the injustice and the political repression
inflicted on the organized people, whose struggle has often been for their most
basic human rights." Carter, concerned that El Salvador would become
"another Nicaragua", ignored Romero's pleas and continued military
aid to the Salvadoran government.
As a result of his humanitarian efforts, Romero began to be noticed
internationally. In February 1980, he was given an honorary doctorate by the
University of Louvain.
On his visit to Europe to receive this honor, he met
Pope
John Paul II and expressed his concerns at what was happening in his
country. Romero argued that it was problematic to support the Salvadoran
government because it legitimized terror and assassinations.
[14]
Statements on persecution of the Church
Óscar Romero (pastel)
Archbishop Romero denounced the persecution of members of the Catholic
Church who had worked on behalf of the poor:
[15]
“In less than three years, more than fifty priests have been attacked,
threatened, calumniated. Six are already martyrs--they were murdered. Some have
been tortured and others expelled [from the country]. Nuns have also been
persecuted. The archdiocesan radio station and educational institutions that
are Catholic or of a Christian inspiration have been attacked, threatened,
intimidated, even bombed. Several parish communities have been raided. If all
this has happened to persons who are the most evident representatives of the
Church, you can guess what has happened to ordinary Christians, to the campesinos,
catechists, lay ministers, and to the ecclesial base communities. There have
been threats, arrests, tortures, murders, numbering in the hundreds and
thousands....
But it is important to note why [the Church] has been persecuted. Not any
and every priest has been persecuted, not any and every institution has been
attacked. That part of the church has been attacked and persecuted that put
itself on the side of the people and went to the people's defense. Here again
we find the same key to understanding the persecution of the church: the poor.”
—Óscar Romero, Speech at the Université
catholique de Louvain, Belgium, Feb. 2, 1980.
Óscar Arnulfo Romero (1917 – 1980) was a
bishop of
the
Catholic Church in
El
Salvador. He became the fourth
Archbishop of San Salvador,
succeeding
Luis Chávez, and spoke out
against poverty, social injustice, assassinations and torture.
[2]
In 1980, Romero was assassinated while offering
Mass.
In 1997,
Pope John Paul II bestowed
upon Romero the title of
Servant of God, and a cause
for
beatification
and
canonization
was opened for him. As the canonization process continues, some
[who?]
consider Romero an unofficial
patron
saint of the
Americas and/or
El
Salvador; Catholics in El Salvador often refer to him as
"San
Romero". Even outside of Catholicism, Romero is honored by other
Christian
denominations, including the
Church
of England and
Anglican Communion through the
Calendar in
Common Worship, as well as in
at least one
Lutheran liturgical
calendar. Archbishop Romero is also one of the ten 20th-century
martyrs depicted in statues above the Great West Door of
Westminster
Abbey in
London.
[3]
In 2008, Europe-based magazine
A Different View included Romero among
its 15 Champions of World Democracy.
[4]
In
1974, he was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Santiago de María, a poor,
rural region.[12]
Archbishop
A mural of Óscar
Romero
On
23 February 1977, Romero was appointed Archbishop of San Salvador. While this
appointment was welcomed by the government, many priests were disappointed,
especially those openly aligning with Marxism. The progressive
priests feared that his conservative reputation would negatively affect liberation
theology's
commitment to the poor.
On
12 March 1977, Rutilio
Grande,
a progressive Jesuit priest and personal
friend of Romero who had been creating self-reliance groups among the poor, was
assassinated. His death had a profound impact on Romero, who later stated,
"When I looked at Rutilio lying there dead I thought, 'If they have killed
him for doing what he did, then I too have to walk the same path'".[13] Romero urged the
government to investigate, but they ignored his request. Furthermore, the
censored press remained silent.[14]
Tension
was noted by the closure of schools and the lack of Catholic priests invited to
participate in government. In response to Fr. Rutilio's murder, Romero revealed
a radicalism that had not been evident earlier, speaking out against poverty,
social injustice, assassinations and torture.[2]
In
1979, the Revolutionary Government Junta came to power amidst
a wave of human rights abuses by paramilitary right-wing groups and the
government in an escalation of violence that would become the Salvadoran
Civil War.
Romero criticized the United States for giving military
aid to the new government and wrote to President Jimmy Carter in February 1980,
warning that increased US military aid would "undoubtedly sharpen the
injustice and the political repression inflicted on the organized people, whose
struggle has often been for their most basic human rights." Carter,
concerned that El Salvador would become "another Nicaragua", ignored
Romero's pleas and continued military aid to the Salvadoran government.
As
a result of his humanitarian efforts, Romero began to be noticed
internationally. In February 1980, he was given an honorary doctorate by the University of Louvain. On his visit to
Europe to receive this honor, he met Pope John Paul II and expressed his
concerns at what was happening in his c
Assassination
Romero spent the day of 24 March 1980 in a recollection organized by Opus
Dei,
[25]
a monthly gathering of priest friends led by Msgr.
Fernando Sáenz Lacalle. On
that day they reflected on the priesthood.
[26]
That evening, Romero was fatally shot while celebrating
Mass.
[27][28]
at a small chapel located in a hospital called "La Divina
Providencia",
[29]
one day after a sermon in which he had called on Salvadoran soldiers, as
Christians,
to obey God's higher order and to stop carrying out the government's repression
and violations of basic
human rights. As soon as he
finished his sermon, Romero proceeded to the middle of the altar and at that
moment was shot.
[30]
Funeral
Romero was buried in the
Metropolitan Cathedral
of San Salvador (Catedral Metropolitana de San Salvador). The
Funeral
Mass on 30 March 1980 in San Salvador was attended by more than
250,000 mourners from all over the world. Viewing this attendance as a protest,
Jesuit
priest
John
Dear has said, "Romero's funeral was the largest demonstration
in Salvadoran history, some say in the history of
Latin
America."
At the funeral,
Cardinal Corripio Ahumada,
speaking as the personal delegate of
Pope
John Paul II, eulogized Romero as a "beloved, peacemaking man
of God", and stated that "his blood will give fruit to brotherhood,
love and peace."
[31]
During the ceremony, smoke bombs exploded on the streets near the cathedral
and subsequently there were rifle shots that came from surrounding buildings,
including the National Palace. Many people were killed by gunfire and in the
stampede of people running away from the explosions and gunfire; official
sources talk of 31 overall casualties, while journalists indicated between 30
and 50 died.
[32]
Some witnesses claimed it was government security forces that threw bombs into
the crowd, and army sharpshooters, dressed as civilians, that fired into the
chaos from the balcony or roof of the National Palace. However, there are
contradictory accounts as to the course of the events and "probably, one
will never know the truth about the interrupted funeral."
[32]
As the gunfire continued, Romero's body was buried in a crypt beneath the
sanctuary. Even after the burial, people continued to line up to pay homage to
their martyred prelate.
[1][33][34][35][36]
International reaction
Archbishop Romero's assassination received considerable attention across the
world.
Ireland
All sections of Irish political and religious life condemned his
assassination, with the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs
Brian Lenihan 'expressing
shock and revulsion at the murder of Dr Romero',
[37]
while the leader of the
Trócaire charity,
Eamon
Casey, revealing that he had received a letter from Romero that very
day.
[38]
The previous October parliamentarians had given their support to the nomination
that Archbishop Romero receive the Nobel Prize for Peace.
[38]
In March each year since the 1980s, the Irish-El Salvador Support Committee
holds a mass in honour of Archbishop Romero.
[39]
United Kingdom
In October 1978, 119 British parliamentarians nominated Romero for the Nobel
Prize for Peace. In this they were supported by 26 members of the United States
Congress.
[16]
When news of his assassination was reported, the new head of the
Church
of England,
Robert Runcie, was about to be
enthroned in
Canterbury Cathedral. On
hearing of Romero's death, one writer observed that Runcie "departed from
the ancient traditions to decry the murder of Archbishop Oscar Romero in El
Salvador".
[40]
Investigations into the assassination
To date, no one has ever been prosecuted for the assassination, or confessed
to it, or took credit for it. In 2010, Alvaro Saravia named
Roberto D'Aubuisson as giving
the assassination order to him over the phone. Saravia said that he drove the
assassin to the cathedral and paid him 1,000 Salvadoran colons after the event.
The assassin has not been identified.
[41]
It is widely believed that the assassins were members of a
death
squad led by former Major
Roberto D'Aubuisson. This view
was supported by ex-US ambassador
Robert White, who in 1986
reported to the
United States Congress that
"there was sufficient evidence" to convict D'Aubuisson of planning
and ordering Archbishop Romero's assassination.
[42]
It was also supported in 1993 by an official
United
Nations report which identified D'Aubuisson as the man who ordered
the killing.
[32]
It is believed that D'aubisson had strong connections to the
Nicaraguan National Guard and
to its offshoot the
Fifteenth of September
Legion[43]
and had also planned to overthrow the government in a coup. Later he founded
the political party
Nationalist Republican Alliance
(ARENA), and organized death squads that systematically carried out politically
motivated assassinations and other human rights abuses in El Salvador.
Álvaro Rafael Saravia,
a former captain in the
Salvadoran Air Force, was
chief of security for D'Aubuisson and an active member of these death squads.
In 2003, a United States human rights organization, the
Center for Justice and
Accountability, filed a civil action against Saravia. In 2004, he
was found liable by a
US District Court under the
Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA)
(28 U.S.C. § 1350) for aiding, conspiring, and participating in the
assassination of Romero. Saravia was ordered to pay $10 million for
extrajudicial killing and
crimes against humanity
pursuant to the ATCA.
[44]
On 24 March 2010—the thirtieth anniversary of Romero's death—Salvadoran
president
Mauricio Funes offered an
official state apology for Romero's assassination. Speaking before Romero's
family, representatives of the Catholic Church, diplomats, and government officials,
Funes said those involved in the assassination "…unfortunately acted with
the protection, collaboration or participation of state agents."
[45]
Wikipedia
