The Martyrdom of Oscar Romero
On March 24, 1980, Oscar Arnulfo Romero, the Archbishop of San Salvador, was shot and killed while celebrating Mass in a chapel. Oscar Romero was sixty-two years old, and had been a Catholic priest since 1942, having entered a seminary at the age of thirteen. He became an archbishop in 1977. His gruesome murder was a sickening act, appallingly carried out to achieve a repugnant purpose, and it must never be forgotten. Many years later, the martyrdom of Oscar Romero endures as a solemn lesson that still needs to be learned.
Oscar Romero was murdered because he dared to peacefully oppose the forces of violent repression in El Salvador. The right-wing leaders of El Salvador, openly acting to preserve the corrupt interests of wealthy landowners, were waging a savage war against their own people, with military aid from the United States. In February, 1980, when Oscar Romero sent a letter to President Jimmy Carter, pleading with him to cease sending aid to the government of El Salvador, his entreaty was not heeded. A month later, Oscar Romero was brazenly slain.
The ruthless leaders of El Salvador hated Oscar Romero, and feared the righteous truth that he and his humble followers represented. When those leaders finally killed him, seeking to destroy all opposition to their brutal authority, it was done, quite probably, with the underhanded assistance of the United States. What is known for certain is that even after the murder of Oscar Romero, the United States continued its policy of sending military aid to El Salvador. It is also known that as a direct result of that military aid, the people of El Salvador continued to suffer.
Although Che Guevara, a questionable figure of reckless violence, is regularly accorded a greater degree of glory in many quarters, it was actually Oscar Romero, a valiant figure of humility and peace, who cast a much stronger light into the grim darkness of Latin American history. Through his steadfast display of courage and integrity, and through his unarmed outlook of abundant humanity, he offered the only way forward for the people of El Salvador. His selfless life exemplified the undeniable power and stark necessity of active nonviolence.
Oscar Romero was murdered because he dared to peacefully oppose the forces of violent repression in El Salvador. The right-wing leaders of El Salvador, openly acting to preserve the corrupt interests of wealthy landowners, were waging a savage war against their own people, with military aid from the United States. In February, 1980, when Oscar Romero sent a letter to President Jimmy Carter, pleading with him to cease sending aid to the government of El Salvador, his entreaty was not heeded. A month later, Oscar Romero was brazenly slain.
The ruthless leaders of El Salvador hated Oscar Romero, and feared the righteous truth that he and his humble followers represented. When those leaders finally killed him, seeking to destroy all opposition to their brutal authority, it was done, quite probably, with the underhanded assistance of the United States. What is known for certain is that even after the murder of Oscar Romero, the United States continued its policy of sending military aid to El Salvador. It is also known that as a direct result of that military aid, the people of El Salvador continued to suffer.
Although Che Guevara, a questionable figure of reckless violence, is regularly accorded a greater degree of glory in many quarters, it was actually Oscar Romero, a valiant figure of humility and peace, who cast a much stronger light into the grim darkness of Latin American history. Through his steadfast display of courage and integrity, and through his unarmed outlook of abundant humanity, he offered the only way forward for the people of El Salvador. His selfless life exemplified the undeniable power and stark necessity of active nonviolence.