WILL OBAMA VISIT ARCHBISHOP ROMERO'S GRAVE?

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U.S. President Barack Obama announced in his State of the Union speech that he will go to Brazil, Chile and El Salvador in March. The Salvadoran press is reporting that Mr. Obama will wind up in the land of Archbishop Romero on March 23 -- on the eve of the anniversary of the Romero assassination, which, beginning last year, is celebrated as a near national holiday in El Salvador. Will Mr. Obama visit Archbishop Romero's grave?

Obama praised Archbishop Romero in his Oval Office remarks in welcoming Salvadoran ambassador Francisco Altschul in June 2010. There is presedent for visiting dignitaries to pay tribute to Archbishop Romero at his grave. Discounting the two visits by Pope John Paul II (in 1983 and 1996), the most recent prominent visitor was Brazil's own Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who visited in 2010. Left-leaning South American presidents Rafael Correa of Ecuador and Fernando Lugo of Paraguay have also come by.

On the other hand, Mr. Obama simply may not have time to fit in such a symbolic gesture into his busy schedule. President Bush visited El Salvador on March 24, 2002, the actual date of the Romero anniversary and did not acknowledge the date in his public activities. And Mr. Obama may wish to stay away for another reason -- he may not wish to reignite 2008 campaign charges that Mr. Obama adhered to some form of "Liberation Theology" espoused by his pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright. If he did visit Romero's grave, however, it would undoubtedly help to create unity in El Salvador and to add energy to Archbishop Romero's canonization cause.

Footnote: Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes has said he wants to talk to Mr. Obama about ways to work together to end poverty and social exclusion. The theme of the visit certainly would be apropos to commemmorate Romero, since Obama's praise for Romero in June was over his commitment to "social inclusion."

"¡SANTO SUBITO!"

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El anuncio de que Juan Pablo II será beatificado el 1° de mayo está conmoviendo al mundo del catolicismo, y ¡con que razón! El pontífice polaco tocó hasta el último rincón de la Iglesia, incluyendo a la Iglesia Salvadoreña, la cual visitó en persona dos veces, visitando en cada una de estas ocasiones la Tumba de Monseñor Romero. El mensaje que Juan Pablo llevó a todas partes era un mensaje a veces dificil de aceptar, pero lo llevó con vigor pastoral, y abrió su corazón y su mente para tomar en cuenta puntos de vista que a veces chocaban estrenuamente durante tiempos de conflicto en la Iglesia y en el mundo. En el caso de Mons. Romero, con quien el papa trató en reiteradas veces, los dos se enfrentaron en encuentros decisivos que Mons. Romero comparó a los debates entre San Pedro y San Pablo en los tiempos antiguos de la Iglesia. Juan Pablo surgió de esos encuentros más abierto a la situación de Mons. Romero y fue uno de los primeros adentro de la Iglesia en abrir el camino de Mons. Romero hacia la canonización.

Ahora, resulta que el que encaminó al otro a los altares está llegando con anterioridad y, quizá, algunos seguidores de Mons. Romero sentirán emociones mixtas al ver la celeridad de una causa y lo lento de la otra. Que bueno sería si todos supieran comprender que el éxito de Juan Pablo es de toda la Iglesia y que el ascenso de su causa es tal de que levanta y ayuda a muchas otras cosas buenas en la Iglesia, incluyendo la causa de santidad de Mons. Romero. Consideremos que si Juan Pablo es santo, y este santo se arrodilló ante la Tumba de Mons. Romero, sigue dando un gran aval a la causa de Mons. Romero. Si Juan Pablo es santo, y este santo inscribió el nombre de Mons. Romero, con su santa y temblorosa mano (estremecida por el padecer de Parkinson), cuando se conmemoraron los mártires del Siglo XX en el Coliseo de Roma en el año 2000, esto ayudará en la causa de Mons. Romero. Si Juan Pablo es santo y este santo caracterizó a Mons. Romero como "veraderamente un mártir" y un "pastor celoso" que dio su vida por su pueblo, es un tremendo testimonio que abona el camino de Mons. Romero hacia los altares.

La beatificación de Juan Pablo II es una lección para todos los creyentes sobre el valor de un santo, especialmente de un santo de la modernidad. Hoy como siempre, los santos se postulan como ejemplos y modelos del bien que la fe nos da, en medio de la complejidad y de la negatividad con cual el mundo actual nos golpea constantemente, y nos ayudan a recordar el gran valor de la trascendencia. ¡Gracias a Dios!

2011 BEATIFICATION OUTLOOK

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The prospects for Archbishop Romero’s beatification in 2011 look better than they have looked in a few years, but not quite as good as they looked in 2005, when some of us thought the approval of Romero’s beatification was imminent before the death of John Paul II. As we begin the year, we can say that Romero’s cause has fulfilled the substantive and procedural requirements, and that the prudential considerations which have for the past three or four years been identified as the main stumbling blocks, have also been overcome. Therefore, it appears as though the path is clear for the cause to proceed. However, there are no signals that would indicate an impending acceleration.

Let’s review the major premises of the foregoing statement. The substantive and procedural requirements are satisfied. Church authorities now have the results of multiple proceedings—by the U.N., the OAS, a U.S. federal court and now the official recognition by the Salvadoran government, as well as newly released admissions by participants—which establish that Romero’s killers killed Romero because they took exception, they “hated,” what he preached and practiced. Church authorities also have internal, Church-conducted studies that prove that what Romero preached and practiced was “the faith”—they have established his orthodoxy and his orthopraxy. Therefore, it is possible to prove that Romero was killed in odium fidei, in hatred of the faith. This takes care of the substantive requirements. The procedural requirements also are satisfied: the diocesan investigations were completed in San Salvador, and the Roman investigations have been handled in the Vatican, thus completing the corresponding requirements of process.

The prudential obstacles that previously existed largely have been removed. It used to be said that a Romero beatification would embarrass the Salvadoran government, because the Church would be forced to point a finger at state-affiliated persons in order to beatify Romero. As noted previously, the State itself has accepted these findings and even accepted responsibility for Romero’s murder, so that concern is gone. Officials previously had voiced concerns that Romero’s beatification would be taken hostage by political radicals who would celebrate the beatification in the streets while the reaction of officialdom would be muted in contrast, due to continuing division in official circles about whether Romero was a saint. Here, again, the cause for concern has collapsed. The last two Salvadoran presidents, including a right wing president, both have supported Romero’s sainthood and the current president has even raised the celebration to the status of a national cause. More importantly, all of the bishops of the Salvadoran Church have rallied behind Romero’s sainthood. Therefore, if there are street celebrations, they will be in harmony with, not in shrill dissonance with, the official reaction.

In fact, Romero’s beatification is likely to receive broad approval from many institutions around the world, thus lending credibility to the Church. In addition to the Salvadoran government plaudits, just this past year, Romero has been praised by the head of the OAS, by the Central American parliament, by a resolution of the UN, by President Barack Obama, and by leaders of the Church of England, where Romero’s figure has grown in popularity in recent years. Accordingly, one could argue that the prudential considerations, if anything, actually have inverted, where now it is unwise not to beatify Romero sooner rather than later. Let us hope that the prevailing winds are sustained.

Background:

Beatification Chronology (Spanish)

2006 General Status Report

2007 Beatification outlook

2008 Beatification outlook (Spanish)

VOCES DE LA CRIPTA

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Durante las persecuciones romanas, las catacumbas sirvieron, en algunos casos como recintos para la celebración de la Eucaristía y se convertieron, con el tiempo, en verdaderos santuarios de los mártires, centros de devoción y de peregrinación. Muchas tumbas de mártires se transformaron en criptas, es decir, en pequeñas iglesias subterráneas, embellecidas con pinturas, mosaicos y otros tipos de decoración.

En El Salvador, la Cripta de la Catedral Metropolitana, donde yacen los restos mortales de Mons. Romero se ha convertido en un verdadero centro de reflexión. Todos los domingos, la “Comunidad de la Cripta” se reúne en ese lugar para profundizar sobre el mensaje de Monseñor, que ellos mantienen vivo en sus integrantes. Más asombroso todavía, un periódico salvadoreño ha dignado dar cobertura a los sermones dominicales que se predican allí. Durante todo el año, los periodistas Alma Vilches, David Pérez, Gloria Silvia Orellana, Juan José Morales, Iván Escobar, Claudia Solórzano y Beatriz Castillo han reportado los mensajes que lanzan los predicadores—siempre religiosos diversos que predican allí—desde la Cripta de Monseñor.

Aquí recogemos las homilías de la Cripta reportados en el Diario Co-Latino para el 2010. ¡Son un tesoro de verdad!

Enero

25: La homilía, actualización viviente

Febrero

1: Recuerdan mensaje de Monseñor Romero en Lovaina

8: Monseñor Romero y su mensaje esperanzador en tiempos de confusión

15: Monseñor Romero ilumina la política del país a la luz del evangelio

22: “Dios tiene un proyecto para salvar a los hombres”

26: “Gracias por visitar a nuestro San Romero de América”

Marzo

15: Monseñor Romero y la verdadera liberación

19: Monseñor Romero: Una vida para el amor

23: Perdonar es un acto de liberación que resalta la dignidad humana

Abril

13: Monseñor Romero y el mensaje de la Pascua

26: Monseñor Romero, el pastor de su pueblo

Mayo

4: El llamado del amor de Monseñor Romero

10: El rol de la Iglesia según Monseñor Romero

17: Monseñor Romero denuncia la violencia que enluta al país

24: Hace 33 años Monseñor Romero hizo el llamado a la unidad entre los salvadoreños

Junio

14: El perdón es una experiencia de amor

28: La denuncia de Monseñor Romero sigue vigente contra la violencia

Julio

19: El llamado a la oración desde la perspectiva de Monseñor Romero

Agosto

2: Monseñor Romero insistió en la solidaridad

9: “Debemos ser constructores de la paz”

16: Monseñor Romero vive en su pueblo, por eso muchos le llaman Santo

23: Una Iglesia misionera y comprometida con la gente

30: «Seamos la voz que grita contra tanto atropello de los derechos humanos»

Septiembre

6: Monseñor Romero sigue siendo testimonio de solidaridad y entrega

20: Monseñor Romero invita a buscar la libertad interior

27: Monseñor Romero denunció la insensibilidad ante los pobres y hambrientos

Octubre

4: Monseñor Romero y la transformación de la realidad actual

11: Monseñor Romero y su mensaje de fe trasformado en obras

18: “Debemos convertirnos en colaboradores de Dios con oración y trabajo”

25: Monseñor Romero predicó la búsqueda del bienestar común

Noviembre

8: Monseñor Romero, ejemplo de mártir salvadoreño

22: “Hay que seguir el Rey de la paz y la justicia”

29: Monseñor Romero y su invitación a vivir basados en la verdad y la justicia

Diciembre

6: Monseñor Romero hizo un llamado a iluminar la realidad con la luz de la verdad

13: Monseñor Romero promovió la defensa de los derechos humanos

20: “La navidad es la luz para luchar por la dignidad humana”

Seguramente estos despachos desde el fondo de la Catedral, y la Cripta de Monseñor Romero, reverberarán por muchos años como un reportaje histórico de verdad. Felicidades Co-Latino, y a los señores periodistas que han dado este bello aporte a la cristiandad.

TOP 10 ROMERO STORIES OF 2010

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Let us remember the year that was for Archbishop Romero.

1. The 30th Anniversary of Archbishop Romero’s martyrdom was observed. The customary "Minor Holy Week" in El Salvador included large public masses presided over by the Archbishop of San Salvador, by Guatemalan Cardinal Rodolfo Quezada and American Cardinal Theodore Mccarrick. In England, the Archbishop of Canterbury preached a sermon on Romero. The UK’s Romero Trust has published Romero memorial sermons by the Archbishop of York, Cardinal Keith O'Brien, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor and other prominent British clerics. Closer to home, OAS Secretary-General José Insulza called Romero a martyr and a universal human rights hero.

2. The Salvadoran State honors Archbishop Romero. In El Salvador, the first elected leftist government in modern history took part in the official conmemorations for the first time, ever. In the most striking gesture, President Mauricio Funes (pictured) asked forgiveness for the state role in the assassination, dramatically apologizing to Archbishop Romero’s family and to the Church. Bishop Gregorio Rosa Chávez was reported to remark, "This marks a before and after in the history of El Salvador." In the Salvadoran assembly, political groups on the left and the right joined to declare March 24 Óscar Romero day. Only the imploding ARENA party founded by Maj. Roberto D’Aubuisson abstained (D’Aubuisson is widely believed to have ordered the assassination).

3. The Salvadoran bishops unite behind appeal to Rome urging Romero’s sainthood. In stark contrast to the divisions that plagued the Salvadoran bishops during Romero’s time, the current bishops announced that they would send a letter to the Vatican endorsing the speedy canonization of their martyred brother. The move, together with the official embrace of Romero, seemed to leave no oxygen for Romero bashing in any major part of Salvadoran society, for the first time since the end of the war.

4. Alvaro Saravia tells all. Major revelations about the Romero assassination were disclosed this year in a very unexpected place – in the Salvadoran press. The web site of the weekly El Faro crashed for several days due to online traffic after it published an extensive, exclusive interview with the D’Aubuisson aide accused of having executed the assassination plan. Saravia tells a harrowing tale, implicating D’Aubuisson and others. Yet the greatest drama results from Saravia’s own lot, reduced to a pauper living in the margins, and admitting to feeling a sense of identity with the voiceless whom Romero defended.

5. U.N. declares March 24th conmemoration. The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution declaring March 24 as International Day of the Right to Truth, in relation to serious violations of Human Rights and Dignity of Victims, in honor of Archbishop Romero. The U.N. resolution is the latest of various conmemorations of the March 24 date, including the Roman Catholic Church's conmemoration of Missionary Martyrs' Day, the Church of England recognition of the Feast of Óscar Romero and the Martyrs of El Salvador, and the declaration of Romero Day by cities around the world, including L.A.

6. Pope Benedict encounters Romero in London. When Benedict XVI visited Westminster Abbey in London on September 17, 2010, he passed under the prominent statue of Óscar Romero. The Dean of the Abbey told the Pope, "Here we have the statues of the martyrs of the twentieth century, and this is Óscar Romero." The Pope gazed at the white statue in the middle of the array and he said, "Ah, yes. And when was it installed?" The Dean told him that the statue had been there since 1996, highlighting the lag between Anglican and Catholic recognition of Archbishop Romero’s sainthood.

7. Central American Parliament posthumously bestows its Grand Cross. The Central American Parliament, composed of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and the Dominican Republic, posthumously awarded Archbishop Romero the Order of Francisco Morazán in the grade of Grand Cross, the highest decoration that the organization bestows. The award was accepted by the late Archbishop’s brother, Gaspar Romero, who admitted, "Archbishop Romero would have been wary of accepting an award such as this one, because he was very humble."

8. Texas school board’s questioning of Romero’s relevance causes outcry. When the Texas Board of Education voted not to approve including Archbishop Romero in its history books because he was not sufficiently notable, they were lampooned by TV host Jon Stewart for their circular, self-fulfilling reasoning. The debate was picked up by national commentators and the incident became a flashpoint in charges that the board was pushing an ideological agenda in disregard of sound academic practices/good history.

9. Pope infuses new blood into Congregation for the Causes of Saints. At the end of the year, Pope Benedict made important new appointments in the Vatican agency charged with approving saints. The Pope named Msgr. Marcello Bartolucci as the new secretary of the CCS, Fr. Boguslaw Turek as the undersecretary, and the Holy Father named three cardinals as members of the Congregation: Cardinal Francesco Monterisi, Cardinal Fortunato Baldelli, and Cardinal Paolo Sardi, all new cardinals created in the recent October 2010 consistory.

10. Barack Obama praises Óscar Romero. Finally, the most powerful man on earth weighed in on Archbishop Romero’s merits. Welcoming new Salvadoran Ambassador Francisco Altschul on June 29, 2010, Obama praised the values of the Salvadoran people, and he singled out Archbishop Romero, whom Obama said was someone who "spoke in the name of justice and social inclusion." Obama said Romero had been committed to democracy and freedom. And so, Romero this year was on the lips of presidents and popes, with praise coming from PARLACEN, the OAS, and the U.N. as well as peasants and commoners.

Previously:

2006 Round-up (Spanish)

Top 10 of 2007

Top 10 of 2008