Take a moment this week to remember Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero.
Appointed as archbishop of San Salvador in 1977, Romero became a powerful voice for peace and justice, speaking out against the military repression the government of El Salvador imposed upon its' campesino citizens. He was assasinated on March 24, 1980, as he was celebrating Mass in a small hospital chapel.
In a collection of Romero's pastoral letters and statements titled Voice of the Voiceless, Ignacio Martin-Baro writes in the introduction: "Had one known Father Romero in the church of San Francisco or in the central parish of San Miguel, or had one known Bishop Romero of Santiago de Maria, it would have been difficult to foresee the role he was later to play to as archbishop of San Salvador. All the signs would have pointed in the opposite direction, ...to a man more likely to be at ease with the powerful than to act in unshakable solidarity with the poor."
In his last homily in San Salvador cathedral, the day before he was assasinated, Archbishop Romero directly addressed the immorality of the military's actions.
"I would like to appeal in a special way to the men of the army, and in particular to the troops of the National Guard, the Police, and the garrisons. Brothers, you belong to our own people. You kill your own brother peasants; and in the face of an order to kill that is given by a man, the law of God should prevail that says: Do not kill! No solidier is obliged to obey an order counter to the law of God. No one has to comply with an immoral law. It is time now that you recover your conscience and obey its dictates rather than the command of sin. The Church, defender of the rights of God, of the law of God, of the dignity of the human person, cannot remain silent before so much abomination.
"We want the government to seriously consider that reforms mean nothing when they come bathed in so much blood. Therefore, in the name of God, and in the name of this longsuffering people, whose laments rise to heaven every day more tumultuous, I beseech you, I beg you, I command you in the name of God: stop the repression!"
(from Cloud of Witnesses rev. ed, Wallis and Hollyday, Orbis Books, 2005)
To learn more about Archbishop Romero, check out Oscar Romero, 25 Years Later written by Fr. John Dear, S.J., on his website. Other good resources are Remembering Archbishop Oscar Romero and also After 25 years 'St. Romero of the World' still inspires. The icon portrait pictured here is by Robert Lentz.
