¡Oscar Romero...Presente!

On March 24, 1980, Oscar Arnulfo Romero, the Archbishop of San Salvador, was assassinated while giving Mass on a Monday evening in a small chapel. Although the bullet pierced Monseñor Romero’s heart, it would not be able to keep Romero silent. If you speak with most Salvadorans – particularly the poor, marginalized and oppressed who Romero sided with and placed the church with – they will say that their Monseñor is ever present and alive in his pueblo salvadoreño (the Salvadoran people).

To give a brief introduction to Monseñor Romero. He was born to a poor, rural family, entering the minor seminary when he was only 13 years old. He was ordained a priest at the age of 24 and commenced his work as a parish priest and diocesan secretary in San Miguel, El Salvador. In 1967, Romero was named Secretary-General of the Salvadoran Bishops’ Conference, and also served as the secretary of the Central American Bishops’ Conference which allowed him to participate in the Conference of Latin American Bishops in 1968 in Medellín, Colombia which birthed a Church committed to the poor and their struggle. In 1970 Romero was named an auxiliary bishop and in 1974 was named Bishop of the Diocese of Santiago de María.

The seeds of Romero’s conversion lie partly in his work as Bishop of the Diocese of Santiago de María. Here he returned to direct pastoral work with the people. This was important for Romero because his priestly ministry was directly related to the people. His view of reality began to change, as he was accompanying the people who were suffering, dying, struggling to survive, and calling him to rise up and do something. Other incidents and events, like the massacre at Tres Calles, were important as well in committing himself further to the poor and to his country.

In February 1977, Romero was appointed Archbishop of San Salvador. Shock and disappointment filled the hearts and minds of many clergy and Salvadorans with Romero being named Archbishop. He seemed to be stuck in the past in his ways, thoughts, and ideas. The ideas produced by the Medellín Conference – particularly those of liberation, participation, and Christian base communities – were difficult for Romero to bear and at first he had felt very unsure about these changes the Latin American church was experiencing. Afraid that he would probably not rise up to the challenge of the country and of the people presented at his feet, soon enough El Salvador would discover one of its most underestimated and unpredicted saviors. 

On March 12, 1977, Father Rutilio Grande, SJ was killed along with an older man and a young boy while driving his Jeep to preside at Mass in El Paisnal. A close friend of Romero’s, Padre Grande’s death had a profound impact on Monseñor Romero. This ultimately led Romero to cancel all Masses in the archdiocese on the following Sunday and hold a single Mass at the Cathedral in San Salvador. With an overwhelming attendance of a hundred thousand people, Romero proclaimed to the Salvadoran people the role of the Church in accompanying its people in their struggle for liberation. Monseñor Romero crossed the threshold. He committed himself and the Salvadoran church to side with the poor and the oppressed. He now began to be the savior that his pueblo salvadoreño was calling him to be.

Ignacio Ellacuría, SJ, a previous UCA rector and one of the six Jesuit priests to be killed in November 1989, noted in reflecting on the life and works of Monseñor Romero, that “with Monseñor Romero, God passed through El Salvador.” What powerful words used to describe an imperfect human being. And that is who Romero was, and how Romero saw himself, as another ordinary human being.

Romero preached a theology of liberation that called for all to commit to the struggle of liberation and justice of the Salvadoran people. Romero sided with the poor, believing and preaching in a God that identifies with the poor. His words, thoughts, and actions eventually led to his assassination. He strove for justice, equality, peace, end to violence, and so forth. For many in El Salvador who knew Romero, witnessed his transforming homilies, or heard of him through word of mouth, and even those who are born in the second generation of the war, not having experienced the war years directly, are able to receive a glimpse at the life and ministry of Archbishop Romero and his continual impact on the Salvadoran community. For many here in El Salvador as well as Latin America, Romero is a prophet, the Latin American saint (although his canonization still awaits), the Jesus of Nazareth in Latin America.

"With Monseñor Romero, God passed
through El Salvador."
- Ignacio Ellacuría, SJ

Gustavo Gutierrez, the “father” of liberation theology, stated that “I think that we could say, without exaggeration, that the life and death of Monseñor Romero divides the recent history of the Latin American church into a before and after.” For the Salvadoran people, particularly those who lived through and experienced the brutality and violence of the war years and the years following the Peace Accords in 1992, Monseñor Romero was the symbol of change and hope for the Salvadoran people and the future of their homeland. Interestingly enough, it was shortly after the assassination of Romero when the FMLN guerrillas become more active in fighting the military and government, and thus the war began in 1981 (after the death of Romero) continuing for 11 years until the Peace Accords. So what does Gutierrez mean when referring to the life and death of Romero being the before and after of the Latin American church?

Prior to his death, Monseñor Romero gave a homily in which he said, “If they kill me, I will be resurrected in the Salvadoran people.” The three years as Archbishop of San Salvador and the same three years leading up to his killing mark an important time for the Salvadoran people – a time where faith was put into action, and justice was demanded by the clergy and the poor alike. The poor became aware of their realities and through the help of many of the church, particularly Romero, their eyes were opened to a world where the poor was not supposed to be living in such marginalized conditions and ways of life, that God did not approve of their oppression and suffering, rather God was on the side of the poor and oppressed.

"If they kill me I will rise in the
Salvadoran people." - Romero

Following his death, Monseñor Romero rose in his people. Despite the 11 years of war, massacres, and mass suffering, Oscar Romero remained in his pueblo salvadoreño. Romero’s presence differs from person to person, but particularly for those who sided with the poor, and the poor themselves, Romero has stood as a constant reminder of the hope, courage, faith, and justice that one must continue to strive and fight for.



Another interesting point to mention is that it is now 2012 – 20 years after the signing of the Peace Accords and 32 years after the murder of Monseñor Romero. There are those in El Salvador who vividly remember the years of civil war and the Church that Monseñor Romero placed at the side of the poor – they lived through the horror and violence that spread across the 20,000 squared km country and in many cases lost loved ones during these years. However an interesting portion of Salvadoran society to examine is the younger generation that has little to no memory of these years and has no direct contact with individuals like Oscar Romero. With around 35 percent of the population being below 15 years of age, a significant amount is too young to remember Monseñor Romero. Nonetheless, his life, words, and legacy continue to influence profoundly the lives of Salvadorans. According to Ana Grande, a 30 year old, second-generation Salvadoran-American, “Romero matters regardless of the generation…For the younger generation, although they didn’t have firsthand contact, it is a remembrance of faith and justice. Others may have lost family members during the civil war and reflect on the courage that each of them had alongside Romero.” Ana Grande, the great niece of Rutilio Grande, SJ, further states that “Salvadorans in this violence-stricken country call upon San Romero de America in the hopes of converting their gangster children into productive citizens…They call upon Romero in times of sickness or in despair. Whatever the case is, Romero is always present.”

Romero’s death has led to his ever-lasting presence in the lives of Salvadorans, especially those who continue to be oppressed and suffer from gangs, violence, poverty, inequality, lack of employment opportunities, etc. One reason it seems that Romero continues to play a large role in motivating Salvadorans and maintaining their faith and strength during tough times is because although Romero spoke about the injustices occurring during his own time when he was alive, his words, homilies, and actions relate to the present day very much as well. El Salvador continues to suffer from poverty, inequalities, oppression, lack of equitable and effective infrastructure, violence, corruption, and the list goes on. Romero serves as a continual reminder and advocator for the current times and the need for social justice.

Romero still remains close to his Salvadoran people. His image can be found in nearly every impoverished and marginalized community, many parishes, Christian base communities, and even in the occasional store. His presence even extends to murals along roads. Monseñor Romero is ever present in the lives of Salvadorans. According to Father Hernández Pico, SJ, people remember his presence…”that presence, that closeness, that merciful attitude to suffering is what the Salvadoran people remember.”