Romero, Oscar (1917–1980)

On March 24, 1980, while delivering his homily in the chapel of the Divina Providencia Hospital, Oscar Arnulfo Romero, archbishop of San Salvador, was shot and killed at the altar by a right-wing assassin. Romero's martyrdom came in the midst of terrible social and political strife that had been brewing in El Salvador for almost a century. Installed as archbishop in February 22, 1977, one of Romero's first tasks was to bury dozens of protestors machined-gunned by soldiers during a demonstration against rigged presidential elections.

The struggle against the oligarchic class system dates back to 1932, when 30,000 peasants were slaughtered by the country's military. This peasant uprising, known as la matanza (the massacre), was a result of the disproportion of wealth created by laws that took land away from farmers. Fourteen families, with the support of the government and the military, controlled 90% of the country's wealth, while the vast majority of the country lived in poverty. Political unrest continued and was exacerbated in the 1980s with the aid of American dollars. In Ronald Reagan's first term in office, direct military aid went from zero in 1980 to $424 million between 1981 and 1984, due to fear that communism might gain a foothold in Central America.

Although initially favored by the ruling oligarchy for his traditional and moral values, Romero earned the enmity of the government and military for his commitment to the poor majority. Romero's turnaround for justice was ignited when, shortly after his ascension to archbishop, his friend, Jesuit priest Rutulio Grande, together with an old man and young boy were murdered while they traveled from San Salvador to El Paisnal to conduct mass. Unafraid of the dangerous repercussions, Romero prayed publicly and buried the three corpses without first attaining the government's permission. The following Sunday, after canceling all services, Romero spoke before 100,000 people in front of the country's Cathedral. Right-wing leaflets reading “Be a patriot: Kill a priest” were circulated.

By 1980, the civil war was claiming approximately 3,000 lives per month. Mutilated bodies were left on streets for public viewing to threaten those who rose against the military. Romero offered sanctuary to the masses by speaking out against the atrocities not only in public masses but also on the YSAX radio broadcast. Romero's liberation theology became the voice against the government. In an attempt at international intervention, Romero wrote a letter to President Jimmy Carter. He pleaded for the United States to cease financial aid in the repression of his people.

The day before his assassination, during his homily at the Cathedral, Romero spoke directly to the military. He told them that all those they were killing were their own brothers and sisters. He reminded them that God's command was superior to man's law, and no soldier should obey any command contrary to it. He beseeched them in the name of God to stop the repression. His courageous words were forever silenced the following day while he prepared the gifts of the offertory.

Archbishop Oscar Romero is venerated as a martyr and prophet for his valor and commitment to the social and political justice of the poor. Even before his assassination, 118 members of Britain's House of Commons nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize.

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