In 1997,Pope John Paul II bestowed upon Romero the title ofServant of God, and a cause for hisbeatification was opened by the church. The cause stalled but was reopened byPope Benedict XVI in 2012. Romero was declared amartyr byPope Francis on 3 February 2015, paving the way for his beatification on 23 May 2015. During Romero's beatification, Pope Francis declared that his "ministry was distinguished by his particular attention to the most poor and marginalized."[6] Pope Franciscanonized Romero on 14 October 2018.
Seen as a social conservative at the time of his appointment as archbishop in 1977, Romero was deeply affected by the murder of his friend and fellow priestRutilio Grande and thereafter became an outspoken critic of themilitary government of El Salvador. Hailed by supporters ofliberation theology, Romero's relationship with this theology was debated and initially led to impediments in hisbeatification process, with both denials and affirmations of Romero adhering to it.[7] According to his biographer Michael E. Lee, since Romero's theological thought and homilies extensively utilized the theme of liberation, and Romero borrowed numerous controversial elements of liberation theology, he "can be seen as an exemplar of liberation theology".[8] Similarly,Peter McLaren also argued that "Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero adopted an outspoken stance in favor of 'liberation theology'".[9]
In 2010, theUnited Nations General Assembly proclaimed 24 March as the "International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims" in recognition of Romero's role in defence of human rights. Romero actively denounced violations of the human rights of the most vulnerable people and defended the principles of protecting lives, promoting human dignity and opposing all forms of violence. ArchbishopJosé Luis Escobar Alas, one of Romero's successors as Archbishop of San Salvador, asked Pope Francis to proclaim Romero aDoctor of the Church, which is an acknowledgement from the church that his religious teachings were orthodox and had a significant impact on its philosophy and theology.[10]
Óscar Romero was born on 15 August 1917[11] to Santos Romero and Guadalupe de Jesús Galdámez inCiudad Barrios in theSan Miguel department ofEl Salvador.[12] On 11 May 1919, at the age of one, Romero was baptized into the Catholic Church by the priest Cecilio Morales.[13]
Romero entered the local public school, which offered only grades one through three. When finished with public school, Romero was privately tutored by a teacher, Anita Iglesias,[14] until the age of thirteen.[15] During this time Romero's father trained him in carpentry.[16] Romero showed exceptional proficiency as an apprentice. His father wanted to offer his son the skill of a trade, because in El Salvador studies seldom led to employment,[17] however, Romero broached the idea of studying for the priesthood, which did not surprise those who knew him.[18]
Romero entered theminor seminary in San Miguel at the age of thirteen. He left the seminary for three months to return home when his mother became ill after the birth of her eighth child; during this time he worked with two of his brothers in a gold mine near Ciudad Barrios.[18] After graduation, he enrolled in the nationalseminary in San Salvador. He completed his studies at theGregorian University inRome, where he received aLicentiate in Theologycum laude in 1941, but had to wait a year to be ordained because he was younger than the required age.[19] He wasordained in Rome on 4 April 1942.[3][20] His family could not attend his ordination because of travel restrictions due toWorld War II.[21] Romero remained in Italy to obtain a doctoral degree in theology, specializing inascetical theology and Christian perfection according toLuis de la Puente.[19] Before finishing, in 1943 at the age of 26, he was summoned back home from Italy by his bishop. He traveled home with a good friend, Father Valladares, who was also doing doctoral work in Rome. On the route home, they made stops in Spain and Cuba, where they were detained by the Cuban police, likely for having come fromFascist Italy,[22] and were placed in a series of internment camps. After several months in prison, Valladares became sick andRedemptorist priests helped to have the two transferred to a hospital. From the hospital they were released from Cuban custody and sailed on to Mexico, then traveled overland to El Salvador.[23]
Romero was first assigned to serve as aparish priest inAnamorós, but then moved toSan Miguel where he worked for over 20 years.[20] He promoted various apostolic groups, started anAlcoholics Anonymous group, helped in the construction of San Miguel's cathedral, and supported devotion toOur Lady of Peace. He was later appointed rector of the inter-diocesan seminary inSan Salvador. Emotionally and physically exhausted by his work in San Miguel, Romero took a retreat in January 1966 where he visited a priest for confession and a psychiatrist. He was diagnosed by the psychiatrist as havingobsessive-compulsive personality disorder and by priests withscrupulosity.[24][25]
In 1966, he was chosen to be Secretary of the Bishops Conference for El Salvador. He also became the director of the archdiocesan newspaperOrientación, which became fairly conservative while he was editor, defending the traditional Magisterium of the Catholic Church.[26]
On 3 February 1977, Romero was appointed Archbishop of San Salvador, assuming the position on 22 February.[3] While this appointment was welcomed by the government, many priests were disappointed, especially those openly supportive ofMarxist ideology. The progressive priests feared that his conservative reputation would negatively affectliberation theology's commitment to the poor.[27][28]
A mural of Óscar Romero
On 12 March 1977,Rutilio Grande, aJesuit 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.'"[29] Romero urged the government to investigate, but they ignored his request. Furthermore, the censored press remained silent.[30]
Tension was noted by the closure of schools and the lack of Catholic priests invited to participate in government. In response to Grande's murder, Romero revealed an activism that had not been evident earlier, speaking out against poverty, social injustice, assassinations and torture.[31][32]
On 15 October 1979, theRevolutionary Government Junta (JRG) 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 theSalvadoran Civil War. Romero criticized theUnited States for giving military aid to the new government and wrote an open letter to PresidentJimmy 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." This letter was then sent, via telegram, from the U.S. embassy in El Salvador to Washington D.C.[33] Carter did not directly respond to the letter; instead,Cyrus Vance, theSecretary of State, wrote a telegram back to the U.S. embassy. The telegram carried a very contradictory message, both stating that theUnited States will not interfere but will respond to the Revolutionary Government Junta's requests. It is unknown if Archbishop Romero received the telegram.[34]
On 11 May 1979, Romero met withPope John Paul II and unsuccessfully attempted to obtain a Vatican condemnation of the Salvadoran military regime for committing human rights violations and its support ofdeath squads, and expressed his frustration in working with clergy who cooperated with the government. He was encouraged by Pope John Paul II to maintain episcopal unity as a top priority.[35][36][30]
As a result of his humanitarian efforts, Romero began to be noticed internationally. In February 1980, he was given an honorary doctorate by theCatholic University of Louvain.
Romero denounced the persecution of members of the Catholic Church who had worked on behalf of the poor:[37]
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.
By the time of his death, Romero had gained an enormous following among Salvadorans. He did this largely through broadcasting his weekly sermons across El Salvador[38] on the church's station, YSAX, "except when it was bombed off the air."[39] In these sermons, he listed disappearances, tortures, murders, and much more each Sunday.[38] This was followed by an hour-long speech on the radio the following day. On the importance of these broadcasts, one writer noted that "the archbishop's Sunday sermon was the main source in El Salvador about what was happening. It was estimated to have the largest listenership of any programme in the country."[38] According to listener surveys, 73% of the rural population and 47% of the urban listened regularly.[39] Similarly, his diocesan weekly paperOrientación carried lists of cases of torture and repression every week.[38]
According to Jesús Delgado, his biographer andpostulator of the cause for his canonization, Romero agreed with the Catholic vision of liberation theology and not with the materialist vision: "A journalist once asked him: 'Do you agree with Liberation Theology' And Romero answered: "Yes, of course. However, there are two theologies of liberation. One is that which sees liberation only as material liberation. The other is that of Paul VI. I am with Paul VI."[40] However, Romero had a close connection with a prominent and controversial liberation theologianJon Sobrino.[41] Romero greatly admired a minor figure in liberation theology, bishop of ArgentinaEduardo Pironio, whom he called "a holy bishop" and "a great friend". While Pironio was often criticized as a 'communist' and Romero was even given a book criticizing the bishop, titled "Pironio, Pyromaniac", he dismissed this criticism and referred to Pironio as "a great promoter of authentic liberation in Latin America".[42] In 1977, Romero "adopted an outspoken stance in favor of ‘‘liberation theology’’".[9]
In one of his homilies, Romero stated that he studied liberation theology through Pironio; the theology of Pironio endorsed liberation of the poor and marginalized through a social revolution, but also highlighted that the Church could never be separated from the process and that liberation must not be reduced to 'mere activism or to structural changes', because the liberations must also be 'reformed by the Spirit'.[42] Michael E. Lee wrote that while Romero did adhere to liberation theology, it was often underplayed during the period of when liberation theology was looked at with suspicion by the Vatican: "Romero can be seen as an exemplar of liberation theology. His homilies and writings show him reflecting extensively on the theme of liberation, and his assassination is a result of his untiring advocacy for justice in his divided land. Why would some fear this idea or find it difficult to accept? Sadly, the very way that liberation theologies have been treated in Vatican documents provides the clue."[8]
Romero spoke about social sin, a controversial concept in liberation theology that presented capitalism as sinful by nature, and was used by many as an example of a Marxist framework of liberation theology. In his pastoral letter, Romero defined social sin as "the crystallization, in other words, of individuals’ sins into permanent structures that keep sin in being, and make its force to be felt by the majority of the people". Michal E. Lee writes of Romero's utilization of liberation theology's anti-capitalist teaching:
Continually, he speaks of the rich or “those who are opposed to a just social order” needing conversion. He prayed for the conversion of those who “do not collaborate in the construction of a more just temporal order,” those who “are able to transform society because they have power in their hands,” those who “persecute the Church, paid by interests that want to maintain this system that can’t be maintained,” those who “oppose Christ’s reign of justice, peace, and love in the world.”58 The sins of El Salvador, he says, include the abuse of power, the selfish investment of capital, the idolatry of money, and even the refusal to develop oneself so as to contribute to society.[43]
He also argued that the Catholic Church is 'by nature political' and that it 'must respect and support the right of the people to voice and move toward aspirations for liberation in their own way.' He was particularly dedicated to thepreferential option for the poor, on which he wrote:
The church would betray its own love for God and its fidelity to the gospel if it stopped being “the voice of the voiceless,” a defender of the rights of the poor, a promoter of every just aspiration for liberation, a guide, an empowerer, a humanizer of every legitimate struggle to achieve a more just society…. This demands of the church a greater presence among the poor. It ought to be in solidarity with them, running the risks they run, enduring the persecution that is their fate.[44]
Romero preached that "the most profound social revolution is the serious, supernatural, interior reform of a Christian."[45] He also emphasized: "The liberation of Christ and of His Church is not reduced to the dimension of a purely temporal project. It does not reduce its objectives to an anthropocentric perspective: to a material well-being or only to initiatives of a political or social, economic or cultural order. Much less can it be a liberation that supports or is supported by violence."[46][47] Romero expressed several times his disapproval of divisiveness in the church. In a sermon preached on 11 November 1979 he said: "the other day, one of the persons who proclaims liberation in a political sense was asked: 'For you, what is the meaning of the Church'?" He said that the activist "answered with these scandalous words: 'There are two churches, the church of the rich and the church of the poor. We believe in the church of the poor but not in the church of the rich.'" Romero declared, "Clearly these words are a form of demagogy and I will never admit a division of the Church." He added, "There is only one Church, the Church that Christ preached, the Church to which we should give our whole hearts. There is only one Church, a Church that adores the living God and knows how to give relative value to the goods of this earth."[48]
Romero noted in his diary on 4 February 1943: "In recent days the Lord has inspired in me a great desire for holiness. I have been thinking of how far a soul can ascend if it lets itself be possessed entirely by God." Commenting on this passage, James R. Brockman, Romero's biographer and author ofRomero: A Life, said that "All the evidence available indicates that he continued on his quest for holiness until the end of his life. But he also matured in that quest."[49]
According to Brockman, Romero's spiritual journey had some of these characteristics:
love for the Church of Rome, shown by his episcopal motto, "to be of one mind with the Church," a phrase he took fromSt. Ignatius'Spiritual Exercises;
Romero was a strong advocate of the spiritual charism ofOpus Dei. He received weekly spiritual direction from a priest of the Opus Dei movement.[50] In 1975 he wrote in support of the cause of canonization of Opus Dei's founder, "Personally, I owe deep gratitude to the priests involved with the Work, to whom I have entrusted with much satisfaction the spiritual direction of my own life and that of other priests."[51][52]
Photo that appeared inEl País on 7 November 2009 with the information that the state ofEl Salvador recognized its responsibility in the crime.[53]
On 23 March 1980, Archbishop Romero delivered a sermon in which he called on Salvadoran soldiers, asChristians, to obey God's higher order and to stop carrying out the government's repression and violations of basichuman rights.[54][21]
Romero spent 24 March in a recollection organized by Opus Dei,[55] a monthly gathering of priest friends led byFernando Sáenz Lacalle. On that day they reflected on the priesthood.[56] That evening, Romero celebratedMass[57][58] at a small chapel at Hospital de la Divina Providencia (Divine Providence Hospital),[59] a church-run hospital specializing in oncology and care for the terminally ill.[60] Romero finished his sermon, stepped away from thelectern, and took a few steps to stand at the center of the altar.[54]
As Romero finished speaking, a red car came to a stop on the street in front of the chapel. A gunman emerged from the vehicle, stepped to the door of the chapel, and fired one, or possibly two, shots. Romero was struck in the heart, and the vehicle sped off.[59] He died at the Chapel of Hospital de la Divina Providencia in San Salvador.[61]
Romero was buried in theMetropolitan Cathedral of San Salvador. TheFuneral 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 priestJohn Dear has said, "Romero's funeral was the largest demonstration in Salvadoran history, some say in the history ofLatin America."[62]
At the funeral,CardinalErnesto Corripio y 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."[63]
Attendees to Monsignor Romero's funeral run after hearing gunshots in the middle of the crowd, in Plaza Barrios, on Sunday, March 30, 1980.
During the ceremony, smoke bombs exploded on the streets near the cathedral and subsequently, there were rifle shots that came from surrounding buildings, including theNational Palace. Many people were killed by gunfire and in the stampede of people running away from the explosions and gunfire. Official sources reported 31 overall casualties, while journalists claimed that between 30 and 50 died.[64] Some witnesses claimed it was government security forces who threw bombs into the crowd, and army sharpshooters, dressed as civilians, who fired into the chaos from the balcony or roof of the National Palace. However, there are contradictory accounts about the course of the events and one historian, Roberto Morozzo della Rocca, stated that "probably, one will never know the truth about the interrupted funeral."[64]
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 the assassinated prelate.[21][65][66][67]
All sections of Irish political and religious life condemned his assassination, with the Minister for Foreign AffairsBrian Lenihan "expressing shock and revulsion at the murder of Dr Romero",[68] while the leader of theTrócaire charity, BishopEamon Casey, revealed that he had received a letter from Romero that very day.[69] The previous October, parliamentarians had given their support to the nomination of Romero for the Nobel Peace Prize.[69] In March each year since the 1980s, the Irish–El Salvador Support Committee holds a mass in honour of Romero.[70]
In October 1978, 119 British parliamentarians had nominated Romero for the Nobel Prize for Peace. In this they were supported by 26 members of the United States Congress.[38] When news of the assassination was reported in March 1980, the newArchbishop of Canterbury,Robert Runcie, was about to be enthroned inCanterbury Cathedral. On hearing of Romero's death, one writer observed that Runcie "departed from the ancient traditions to decry the murder of Archbishop Óscar Romero in El Salvador."[71]
The United States public's reaction to Archbishop Romero's death was symbolized through the "martyrdom of Romero" as an inspiration to end US military aid to El Salvador. In December 1980 theInternational Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union refused to deliver military equipment destined for the Salvadoran government. The leader of the union, Jim Herman, was known as a supporter of Romero and denounced his death.[72] On 24 March 1984 a protest was held inLos Angeles, California where around 3,000 people, organized by 20 November Coalition, protested US intervention in El Salvador, using the anniversary of the Archbishop's death and his face as a symbol.[73] On 24 March 1990, 10,000 people marched in front of theWhite House to denounce the military aid that was still flowing from the United States to the Salvadoran government. Protestors carried a bust of the archbishop and quoted some of his speeches, in addition to the event being held on the anniversary of his death. Noted figuresEd Asner andJennifer Casolo participated in the event.[74]
On 25 March 1980, US Secretary of StateCyrus Vance revealed that the White House would continue to fund the Salvadoran government and provide it military aid, in spite of the pleas of Romero and his death immediately prior to this announcement.[75] On 31 March 1983,Roberto D'Aubuisson was allowed entry to the United States by theState Department after deeming him not barred from entry any longer. When asked about D'Aubuisson's association with the assassination of Romero, theDepartment of State responded that "the allegations have not been substantiated."[76] In November 1993, documents by the Department of State,Department of Defense, and theCentral Intelligence Agency were released after pressure by Congress increased. The 12,000 documents revealed that the administrations ofRonald Reagan andGeorge H. W. Bush knew of the assassinations conducted by D'Aubuisson, including that of Romero, yet still worked with him despite this.[77]
No one has ever been prosecuted for the assassination or confessed to it to police. Immediately following the assassination,José Napoleón Duarte, the newly appointedforeign minister of El Salvador, actively promulgated a "blame on both sides" propaganda trope in order to provide cover for the lack of official inquiry into the assassination plot.[78]
Subsequent investigations by the United Nations and other international bodies have established that the four assassins were members of a death squad led by D'Aubuisson.[79] Revelations of the D'Aubuisson plot came to light in 1984 when US ambassadorRobert White testified before theUnited States Congress that "there was sufficient evidence" to convict D'Aubuisson of planning and ordering Romero's assassination.[80] In 1993, an officialUnited Nations report identified D'Aubuisson as the man who ordered the killing.[64] D'Aubuisson had strong connections to theNicaraguan National Guard and to its offshoot theFifteenth of September Legion[81] and had also planned to overthrow the government in a coup. Later, he founded the political partyNationalist 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 theSalvadoran 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, theCenter for Justice and Accountability, filed a civil action against Saravia. In 2004, he was found liable by aUS District Court under theAlien 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 forextrajudicial killing andcrimes against humanity pursuant to the ATCA;[82] he has since gone into hiding.[83] On 24 March 2010–the thirtieth anniversary of Romero's death–Salvadoran PresidentMauricio 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."[84]
A 2000 article by Tom Gibb, then a correspondent withThe Guardian and later with theBBC, attributes the murder to a detective of the Salvadoran National Police named Óscar Pérez Linares, acting on the orders of D'Aubuisson. The article cites an anonymous former death squad member who claimed he had been assigned to guard a house in San Salvador used by a unit of three counter-guerrilla operatives directed by D'Aubuisson. The guard, whom Gibb identified as "Jorge," purported to have witnessed Linares fraternizing with the group, which was nicknamed the "Little Angels," and to have heard them praise Linares for the killing. The article furthermore attributes full knowledge of the assassination to theCIA as far back as 1983.[85][79] The article reports that both Linares and the Little Angels commander, who Jorge identified as "El Negro Mario," were killed by a CIA-trained Salvadoran special police unit in 1986; the unit had been assigned to investigate the murders. In 1983, U.S. Lt. Col.Oliver North, an aide to then-Vice President George H.W. Bush, is alleged to have personally requested the Salvadoran military to "remove" Linares and several others from their service. Three years later they were pursued and extrajudicially killed – Linares after being found in neighbouring Guatemala. The article cites another source in the Salvadoran military as saying "they knew far too much to live".[86]
In a 2010 article for the Salvadoran online newspaperEl Faro,[87] Saravia was interviewed from a mountain hideout.[87] He named D'Aubuisson as giving the assassination order to him over the phone,[87][88] and said that he and his cohorts drove the assassin to the chapel and paid him 1,000Salvadoran colónes after the event.[87]
In April 2017, however, in the wake of the overruling of a civil waramnesty law the previous year, a judge in El Salvador, Rigoberto Chicas, allowed the case against the escaped Saravia's alleged role in the murder of Romero to be reopened. On 23 October 2018, days after Romero's canonization, Judge Chicas issued a new arrest warrant for him, and Interpol and the National Police are charged with finding his hideout and apprehending him.[89][90] As both D'Aubuisson and Linares had already died, they could not be prosecuted.
During his first visit to El Salvador in 1983,Pope John Paul II entered the cathedral in San Salvador and prayed at Romero's tomb, despite opposition from the government and from some within the church who strongly opposed liberation theology. Afterwards, the Pope praised Romero as a "zealous and venerated pastor who tried to stop violence." John Paul II also asked for dialogue between the government and opposition to end El Salvador's civil war.[91]
On 7 May 2000, in Rome's Colosseum during theJubilee Year celebrations, Pope John Paul II commemorated 20th-century martyrs. Of the several categories of martyrs, the seventh consisted of Christians who were killed for defending their brethren in the Americas. Despite the opposition of some social conservatives within the church, John Paul II insisted that Romero be included. He asked the organizers of the event to proclaim Romero "that great witness of the Gospel."[92]
On 21 December 2010, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 24 March as the International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims which recognizes, in particular, the important work and values of Romero.[93][94]
On 22 March 2011, U.S. PresidentBarack Obama visited Romero's tomb during an official visit to El Salvador.[95] Irish PresidentMichael D. Higgins visited the cathedral and tomb of Romero on 25 October 2013 during a state visit to El Salvador.[96][97] Famed linguistNoam Chomsky speaks highly of Romero's social work, and refers often to his murder.[98] In 2014, El Salvador's main international airport was named after him, becomingMonseñor Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez International Airport, and later, San Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez International Airport in 2018 after his canonization.[99]
Romero's sainthood cause at the Vatican was opened in 1993, but theCatholic News Service reported that it "was delayed for years as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith studied his writings, amid wider debate over whether he had been killed for his faith or for political reasons."[102]
In March 2005,Vincenzo Paglia, the Vatican official in charge of the process, announced that Romero's cause had cleared a theological audit by theCongregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, at the time headed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later electedPope Benedict XVI) and that beatification could follow within six months.[103]Pope John Paul II died within weeks of those remarks. Predictably, the transition of the new pontiff slowed down the work of canonizations and beatifications. Pope Benedict instituted changes that had the overall effect of reining in the Vatican's so-called "factory of saints."[104] In an October 2005 interview, CardinalJosé Saraiva Martins, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, was asked if Paglia's predictions of a clearance for Romero's beatification remained on track. Saraiva responded, "Not as far as I know today,"[105] In November 2005, the Jesuit magazineLa Civiltà Cattolica signaled that Romero's beatification was still "years away."[106]
Although Benedict XVI had always been a fierce critic of liberation theology, Paglia reported in December 2012 that the Pope had informed him of the decision to "unblock" the cause and allow it to move forward.[107] However, no progress was made before Benedict's resignation in February 2013.Pope Francis was elected in March 2013, and in September 2013, ArchbishopGerhard Ludwig Müller,Prefect of theCongregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, stated that the Vatican doctrinal office has been "given the green light" to pursue sainthood for Romero.[108]
Thebeatification celebration on 23 May 2015 in San Salvador
On 18 August 2014, Pope Francis said that "[t]he process [of beatification of Romero] was at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, blocked for 'prudential reasons', so they said. Now it is unblocked." Francis stated, "There are no doctrinal problems and it is very important that [the beatification] is done quickly."[109][110][111] The beatification signaled Francis' affirmation of Romero's work with the poor as a major change in the direction of the church since he was elected.[112]
In January 2015, an advisory panel to theRoman Curia'sCongregation for the Causes of Saints voted unanimously to recognize Romero as a martyr, and the cardinals who were voting members of the Congregation unanimously recommended to Francis that he be beatified as a martyr (a martyr can be beatified without recognition of a miracle).[113] ArchbishopVincenzo Paglia, the postulator (chief promoter) of the causes of saints, said that Romero's assassination at the altar was intended "to strike the Church that flowed from the Second Vatican Council" and that the motive for his murder "was not caused by motives that were simply political, but by hatred for a faith that, imbued with charity, would not be silent in the face of the injustices that relentlessly and cruelly slaughtered the poor and their defenders."[107] On 3 February 2015, Francis received CardinalAngelo Amato,Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, in a private audience, and authorized Amato to promulgate (officially authorize) Romero's decree of martyrdom, meaning it had gained the Congregation's voting members and the Pope's approval. This cleared the way for the Pope to later set a date for his beatification.[114]
The beatification of Romero was held in San Salvador on 23 May 2015 in the Plaza Salvador del Mundo under theMonumento al Divino Salvador del Mundo. Amato presided over the ceremony on behalf of Francis, who in a letter to the Archbishop of San SalvadorJosé Luis Escobar Alas marked the occasion by calling Romero "a voice that continues to resonate."[115] An estimated 250,000 people attended the service,[116] many watching on large television screens set up in the streets around the plaza.[117]
Canonization Mass celebrated on 14 October 2018 in Saint Peter's Square.
Three miracles were submitted to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome in October 2016 that could have led to Romero's canonization. But each of these miracles was rejected after being investigated. A fourth (concerning the pregnant woman Cecilia Maribel Flores) was investigated in a diocesan process in San Salvador that was opened on 31 January 2017 and which concluded its initial investigation on 28 February before documentation was submitted to Rome via the apostolic nunciature. The CCS validated this on 7 April.[118][119] On 11 August, Paglia celebrated the Romero Centenary Mass inSt George's Cathedral, Southwark,[120][121] in London, where the cross and relics of Romero are preserved.[122][123][124] Subsequently, medical experts issued unanimous approval to the presented miracle on 26 October with theologians also confirming their approval on 14 December. The CCS members likewise approved the case on 6 February 2018. Pope Francis approved this miracle on 6 March 2018, allowing for Romero to be canonized and the date was announced at a consistory of cardinals held on 19 May. The canonization was celebrated in Rome's Saint Peter's Square on 14 October 2018.[125]
Previously, there had been hopes that Romero would be canonized during a possible papal visit to El Salvador on 15 August 2017 – the centennial of the late bishop's birth – or that he could be canonized inPanama duringWorld Youth Day in 2019.[126]
The Romero Centre inDublin, Ireland, is today an important centre that "promotes Development Education, Arts, Crafts, and Awareness about El Salvador".[132]
TheChristian Initiative Romero is a non-profit organization in Germany working in support of industrial law and human rights in Central American countries.[133]
St. Oscar Romero Catholic High School[136] in Edmonton, Canada, formerly known as Archbishop Oscar Romero, and as Blessed Oscar Romero throughout his canonization.
Romero Center Ministries inCamden, New Jersey, U.S., provides Catholic education and retreat experiences inspired by Archbishop Óscar Romero's prophetic witness. The mission of Romero Center Ministries is to "seek personal, communal, and societal transformation by living ministry as proclaimed in Christ's Gospel." The center hosts over 1,600 guests annually from high schools, colleges, and youth groups which participate in the Urban Challenge program.[137]
The opening scene in the otherwise fictional spy filmS.A.S. à San Salvador (1983) shows a car carrying thugs throughSan Salvador and stopping at a church inside which the main villain assassinates Óscar Romero.
The Archbishop's life is the basis of the 1989 filmRomero, directed byJohn Duigan and starringRaul Julia as Romero. It was produced by Paulist Productions (a film company run by thePaulist Fathers, a Roman Catholic society of priests). Timed for release ten years after Romero's death, it was the first Hollywood feature film ever to be financed by the order. The film received respectful, if less-than-enthusiastic, reviews.Roger Ebert typified the critics who acknowledged that "The film has a good heart, and the Julia performance is an interesting one, restrained and considered. ...The film's weakness is a certain implacable predictability."[142]
In 2005, while at theUC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, Daniel Freed,[143] an independent documentary filmmaker and frequent contributor toPBS andCNBC, made a 30-minute film entitledThe Murder of Monseñor[144] which not only documented Romero's assassination but also told the story of how Álvaro Rafael Saravia – whom a US District court found, in 2004, had personally organized the assassination – moved to the United States and lived for 25 years as a used car salesman inModesto, California, until he became aware of the pending legal action against him in 2003 and disappeared, leaving behind his drivers license and social security card, as well as his credit cards and his dog. In 2016 a 1993 law protecting the actions of the military during the Civil War was overruled by a Salvadoran high court and on 23 October 2018, another court ordered the arrest of Saravia.[90]
The Daily Show episode on 17 March 2010 showed clips from the Texas State Board of Education in which "a panel of experts" recommended including Romero in the state's history books,[145] but an amendment proposed by Patricia Hardy[146] to exclude Romero was passed on 10 March 2010. The clip of Ms. Hardy shows her arguing against including Romero because "I guarantee you most of you did not know who Oscar Romero was. ...I just happen to think it's not [important]."[147]
A film about the Archbishop,Monseñor, the Last Journey of Óscar Romero, with the priest Robert Pelton serving as executive producer, had its United States premiere in 2010. This film won the Latin American Studies Association (LASA) Award for Merit in film, in competition with 25 other films. Pelton was invited to show the film throughout Cuba. It was sponsored by ecclesial and human rights groups from Latin America and from North America.[148]Alma Guillermoprieto inThe New York Review of Books describes the film as a "hagiography," and as "an astonishing compilation of footage" of the final three years of his life.[149]
St. James the Greater Catholic Church inCharles Town, West Virginia is the first known Catholic Church in the United States to venerate St. Oscar Romero with astained glass window in its building. The project was led by the first Spanish priest of the Wheeling-Charleston Diocese, José Escalante, who is originally from El Salvador, as a gift to the Spanish community of the parish.
John Roberts sculpted a statue of Óscar Romero that fills a prominent niche on the western facade of Westminster Abbey in London; it was unveiled in the presence ofQueen Elizabeth II in 1998.[150]
Joan Walsh-Smith sculpted a statue of Saint Óscar Romero at The Holy Cross College Ellenbrook Western Australia in 2017. The sculpture depicts their College Patron "walking his faith" on his journey with the poor in El Salvador.[151]
Frank Diaz Escalet, 1998, "Oscar Romero, Un Regalo De Dios Para El Mundo Entero;" acrylic on Masonite. This painting is in a private collection in Sacramento, California.
SingerBilly Bragg, on "The Marching Song Of The Covert Battalions", from his 1990 EP,The Internationale, shouts Oscar Romero's surname after the line, "Away with nuns and bishops".
^James R. Brockman (2005).Romero: A Life. Orbis Books. p. 34.ISBN978-1-57075-599-6.The office was in the Romero home on the plaza, and the Romero children delivered letters and telegrams in the town. ... After that his parents sent him to study under a teacher named Anita Iglesias until he was twelve or thirteen.
^Wright, Scott (26 February 2015). "Family".Oscar Romero and the Communion of Saints: A Biography. Orbis Books.ISBN978-1-60833-247-2. "Most children never had the opportunity or the means to even consider [a vocation such as a priesthood]. At least that was his father's belief, and for that reason, he sent his son to learn a trade." Retrieved 27 December 2015.
^abWright, Scott (26 February 2015). "Family".Oscar Romero and the Communion of Saints: A Biography. Orbis Books.ISBN978-1-60833-247-2. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
^Lee, Michael E. (2018).Revolutionary Saint: The Theological Legacy of Oscar Romero. Orbis Books. p. 190.ISBN9781626982260.
^abColón-Emeric, Edgardo (2018).Óscar Romero’s Theological Vision Liberation and the Transfiguration of the Poor. University of Notre Dame Press. pp. 172–174.ISBN9780268104757.
^Lee, Michael E. (2018).Revolutionary Saint: The Theological Legacy of Oscar Romero. Orbis Books. p. 85.ISBN9781626982260.
^Lee, Michael E. (2018).Revolutionary Saint: The Theological Legacy of Oscar Romero. Orbis Books. p. 126.ISBN9781626982260.
^O. A. Romero, La Más Profunda Revolución Social [The Most Profound Social Revolution], DIARIO DE ORIENTE, No. 30867 – p. 1, 28 August 1973.
^ab'Romero letter received on day of killing;, 26 March 1980,The Irish Times
^'Permission given for Romero mass', 30 March 2007, The Irish Times
^'Runcie urges charity', 26 March 1980, The Irish Times
^Einstein, David (23 December 1980). "Union to Boycott Salvadoran Arms Shipments". Associated Press.
^Reza, H.G. (25 March 1984). "3,000 in L.A. Protest El Salvador Election: Coalition of Political and Religious Groups March Downtown".Los Angeles Times.
^Beamish, Rita (24 March 1990). "10,000 Protest U.S. Policy in Central America". Associated Press.
^Knutson, Lawrence (25 March 1980). "U.S. Still Plans Military Aid to El Salvador". Associated Press.
^Knutson, Lawrence (6 April 1983). "Salvadoran Rightist Leader Issued Visa". Associated Press.
^Krauss, Clifford (9 November 1993). "U.S., Aware of Killings, Worked With Salvador's Rightists, Papers Suggest".The New York Times.
^New York Times, "5,000 in San Salvador Take Part in a March for Murdered Prelate", 27 March 1980.
^Doe v. Rafael Saravia, 348 F. Supp. 2d 1112 (E.D. Cal. 2004). The documentation from the case provides an account of the events leading up, and subsequent, to Romero's death.
^"Official El Salvador apology for Oscar Romero's murder".BBC News. 25 March 2010. Retrieved25 March 2010.The archbishop, he said, was a victim of right-wing death squads "who unfortunately acted with the protection, collaboration or participation of state agents."
^Paul D. Newpower, M.M. & Stephen T. DeMott, M.M. (June 1983)."Pope John Paul II in Central America: What Did His Trip Accomplish?".St. Anthony Messenger. United States. Archived fromthe original on 2 February 2013. Retrieved1 January 2013.The pontiff went on to proclaim Archbishop Romero as "a zealous and venerated pastor who tried to stop violence. I ask that his memory be always respected, and let no ideological interest try to distort his sacrifice as a pastor given over to his flock." The right-wing groups did not want to hear that. They portray Romero as one who stirred the poor to violence. The other papal gesture that drew diverse reactions in El Salvador and rankled the Reagan administration was the pope's use of the word dialogue in talking about steps toward ending the civil war. A month before John Paul II journeyed to Central America, U.S. government representatives visited the Vatican and El Salvador to persuade church officials to have the pope mention elections rather than dialogue.
^Dziwisz, StanislawLife with Karol: My Forty-Year Friendship with the Man Who Became Pope, p. 217–218, Doubleday Religion, 2008ISBN0385523742
^"Obama en El Salvador: una visita cargada de simbolismo". BBC MUNDO. 22 March 2011. Retrieved22 March 2011.El Salvador fue la etapa más llena de simbolismo de la gira por América Latina del presidente de Estados Unidos, Barack Obama.
^Goodman, Walter (5 March 1986)."Screen: 'Salvador' by Stone".The New York Times. New York. p. Section C, 22.Archived from the original on 12 November 2021. Retrieved23 February 2022.
^Shales, Tom (5 December 1983)."NBC's Heartsick 'Choices'".Washington Post. Washington, D.C.Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved23 February 2022.
^Freed, Daniel."About Daniel Freed".The "About" page. The Daniel Freed website. Retrieved24 November 2012.
^Freed, Daniel."The Murder of Monseñor".A 30-minute documentary film (2005). The Daniel Freed Website. Archived fromthe original on 22 May 2013. Retrieved24 November 2012.
^Jeff Goodwin (March 1994). "Review: What's Right (and Wrong) about Left Media Criticism? Herman and Chomsky's Propaganda Model".Sociological Forum.9 (1):101–111.doi:10.1007/BF01507710.JSTOR684944.S2CID143939984.
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