“FUE UN GRAN TESTIGO DE LA FE”: BENEDICTO XVI

Mons. Romero y los Papas (continuación)

[Índice]

“No me cabe duda de que su persona merece la beatificación”, dijo el Papa Benedicto XVI (pontificado: 2005-presente) al ser preguntado sobre la causa de canonización de Óscar Romero. (Il Papa e la Santa Sede [El papa y la Santa Sede], Radio Vaticana, 9 de mayo del 2007.) “Ciertamente, monseñor Romero fue un gran testigo de la fe”, aseveró el pontífice, “un hombre de gran virtud cristiana, que se comprometió en favor de la paz y contra la dictadura, y que fue asesinado durante la celebración de la misa”. (Entrevista en Vuelo hacia Brasil, Sitio Web de la Santa Sede, 9 de mayo del 2007.) Esto es una serie sobre la cercanía entre Mons. Romero y los papas de nuestra época.

Aunque los medios de comunicación social han supuesto contrariedad entre el ávido cazador de teólogos de liberación, Ratzinger, y el rechazado de los vaticanistas, Romero, ese encuadro resulta ficticio al analizar los hechos en la mínima profundidad, que revela un fuerte alineamiento entre las posturas doctrinales de los dos hombres. En su “Instrucción sobre algunos aspectos de la ‘Teología de la liberación’,” el entonces Card. Ratzinger critica rubros puntuales del movimiento milenario latinoamericano, pero admite que “la expresión ‘teología de la liberación’ es una expresión plenamente válida”. («Libertatis Nuntius», 1984.) Como papa en su carta encíclica «CARITAS IN VERITATE» (2009), reconoce que “la doctrina social de la Iglesia ... es anuncio y testimonio de la fe” (CIV, ibid., ¶ 15); que “se ve impedida en muchos casos por prohibiciones y persecuciones” y que es “atestiguada por los Santos y por cuantos han dado la vida por Cristo Salvador en el campo de la justicia y la paz” (Ibid., ¶ 11).

El Papa declara que la persecución de un campeón de la doctrina social de la Iglesia puede conllevar al martirio no obstante que “han cambiado los contextos culturales del martirio y las estrategias ‘ex parte persecutoris’ [de la parte persecutora], que cada vez trata de manifestar de modo menos explícito su aversión a la fe cristiana ... [y] que simula diferentes razones, por ejemplo, de naturaleza política o social”. (Mensaje del Santo Padre a la Sesión Plenaria de la Congregación para las Causas de los Santos, 24 de abril de 2006.) La Iglesia no se fija en los pretextos que interponen los asesinos, sino en “el motivo que impulsa al martirio”, que “sigue siendo el mismo y tiene en Cristo su fuente y modelo”. (Mensaje, Ibid.) Por tanto, los mártires deben incluir a los que “se inmolaron por no abandonar a los necesitados, a los pobres, a los fieles que les habían sido encomendados, sin miedo a amenazas y peligros”. (Homilía en la Basílica de San Bartolomé en la isla Tiberina, 7 de abril de 2008—tríptico: Benedicto rinde homenaje a mártires del siglo XX y reza ante altar que custodia reliquias de Mons. Romero.)

La disponibilidad de aquellos que han sido “asesinados en el cumplimiento de su misión de evangelización y promoción humana” se configura con la disponibilidad de Cristo a sacrificarse por nosotros, dice el Papa: “De este modo, el ‘sí’ de Jesús y de María se renueva en el ‘sí’ de los santos, especialmente de los mártires.” (Palabras en la Oración del «Ángelus», 25 de marzo del 2007.) “Lo subrayo recordando que ayer, 24 de marzo, aniversario del asesinato de monseñor Óscar Romero, arzobispo de San Salvador, se celebró la Jornada de oración y ayuno por los misioneros mártires”. (Ángelus, ibid.) Mons. Romero, ha comentado el Papa a los obispos actuales de El Salvador, ha sido parte de la misión evangelizadora en aquel país: “El Evangelio, llevado allí por los primeros misioneros y predicado también con fervor por pastores llenos de amor de Dios, como Mons. Óscar Arnulfo Romero, ha arraigado ampliamente en esa hermosa tierra, dando frutos abundantes de vida cristiana y de santidad”. (Discurso a los obispos de El Salvador en visita “Ad Limina” —ver video.)

Mons. Romero encaja perfectamente en el concepto de martirio expuesto por Benedicto, incluyendo todo el discurso de lo que es y no es una expresión válida de la liberación cristiana. Por tanto, su muerte, ha dicho el Papa, ha sido “una muerte verdaderamente ‘creíble’, de testimonio de la fe.” (Entrevista, Op. Cit.)

Antecedentes:

Encíclica del papa confirma a Mons. Romero
Similitudes entre predicaciones Ratzinger/Romero
Relaciones de ambos con S.S. Pablo VI

“A DIALOGUE ABOUT CRITERIA:” JOHN PAUL II

Archbishop Romero and the Popes (cont’d)

[Index]

They were two laborers in the vineyards of the Lord; one born in a sleepy corner of one of the tiniest countries in the New World and, the other, born three years later in an emerging Central European Old World town. Yet God had a plan to bring them together, when history catapulted both to the world stage at the end of the 1970s when Karol Wojtyla of Wadowice, Poland, emerged as the Blessed John Paul II (pontificate: 1978-2005) and Oscar Romero as Archbishop of San Salvador. This is a series on Romero’s fidelity to the popes and their social teachings.

YouTube video: John Paul at Ab. Romero's grave (1996)

The Salvadoran martyr and the Polish pope were the “two ships”—of Longfellow’s poem—“that greet each other with flashing lights and then sail off into the night.” Much has already been written about the historic encounter when John Paul emerged from a Church oppressed by the totalitarian Left and encountered Romero, persecuted by the oligarchic Right, and compared notes. Or, as Archbishop Romero characterized their tête à tête: they “dialogued about criteria,” like St. Peter and St. Paul (February 10, 1980 Homily.) The first time John Paul met Archbishop Romero, he had been Pope for six months, and the information he had been given was heavily biased toward a negative assessment, reflecting the views of Romero’s government critics. The two met a second time less than a year later, leaving Romero feeling that the Pope had heard him out. John Paul would soon become convinced that Romero had been a true servant of the Church and, later, a martyr.

Despite having received the backing of Pope Paul VI (“You are in charge!”), Romero knew that his enemies were bombarding the Vatican with a damning view of his spiritual leadership of the San Salvador Church. Romero moved quickly to reach out to the new Pope—an outsider—sending a six page letter less than a month after the Pope was installed. Despite his “ ‘conservative’ inclinations,” Romero wrote John Paul, “I believed it my duty to take a positive stand in defense of my Church and ... at the side of my oppressed and abused people.” (James BROCKMAN, Romero: A Life. New York: Orbis Books, 1989, p. 145). He also laid out before John Paul the doctrinal bases for his pastoral line. “In all of my actions,” he wrote, “I have prayed for much light from the Holy Spirit so as not to depart from the Gospel or the guidelines of Vatican Council II or the authorized documents of Medellin.” (BROCKMAN, Ibid.)

In 1979, Romero traveled to Rome to attend a beatification ceremony and greeted John Paul at the Pope’s weekly general audience. “When I told him my name and my responsibility here in El Salvador,” Romero recounted, “he told me that he hoped to speak with me in private.” (May 13, 1979 Hom.) A few days later, “the Holy Father showed me his goodness by receiving me in a private audience,” Romero said. (Ibid.) At their face to face meeting, John Paul gave the embattled Romero “his words of consolation and comfort,” telling him, “ ‘I understand that the situation in which you have to carry out your ministry is very difficult, very difficult’.” (Ibid.) John Paul heard Romero out. “A gesture of his has remained engraved in my heart,” Romero said: “the attention with which Pope John Paul II listens: When he had finished his sentences and I began to speak, he ... leaned closer to me to listen to my words, to understand what I was saying.” (Ibid.) He also gave the archbishop candid advice: “ ‘Be prudent! Be careful! But also have the courage to denounce those serious situations! You must also do this’.” (Ibid.)

Still cognizant of the one sided reports John Paul was getting through official sources, Romero handed the Pope four reports of foreign commissions investigating El Salvador, including one by the Organization of American States which confirmed the persecution of the Salvadoran Church, as well as letters of solidarity in support of Romero, and additional memos by Romero, which John Paul accepted. (BROCKMAN, Supra., 166-167.) Romero returned to El Salvador feeling validated by John Paul, and would cite his encouragement to defend his pastoral line: “just like John Paul II told me: ‘boldness and prudence’.” (July 20, 1979 Hom.) In fact, Romero cited John Paul repeatedly to demonstrate the validity of his actions: facing criticisms that he was too involved in politics, Romero was happy to highlight “The Pope’s travels to six countries, his participation in the Conference of Latin American Bishops, his visit to the United Nations, his messages to government leaders in which he spoke on behalf of those persons who are dispossessed, as well as about peace and human rights.” (December 23, 1979 Hom.) On doctrinal matters, Romero declared his complete adherence to John Paul’s pastoral line. (See, e.g., April 22, 1979, March 9, 1980 homilies).

Pope John Paul and Archbishop Romero met again in January 1980, less than a year after their first encounter. Romero refuted the charge by some that the tone of the meeting was hostile: “He did not scold me as some have said but rather it was a dialogue about criteria,” he said, “like when Paul went up to Jerusalem to speak with Peter about the content of his preaching.” (February 1980 Hom., Supra.) The Pope encouraged Romero: “ ‘Continue to defend social justice and promote love for those who are poor’.” (Ibid.) But he warned him to be careful about possible ideological entanglements. Romero assured the Pope that he was mindful of the need for balance and Romero felt that John Paul approved of everything he said. (BROCKMAN, Supra., 225.) At the end of the meeting, John Paul embraced Romero and told him that he prayed every day for El Salvador. “I felt here God’s confirmation and his force for my poor ministry,” Romero wrote. (Ibid.)

That March, Archbishop Romero declared, “My sisters and brothers, the greatest glory of a pastor is to live in communion with the Pope.” (March 2, 1980 Hom.) “For me,” he added, “this communion with the Pope, is the secret of the truth and gives efficacy to my preaching.” That same month, of course, he would be martyred. In the years following, John Paul recalled Romero on countless occasions, including the first anniversary of the assassination, in which John Paul invoked Romero in St. Peter’s Square; and at the memorial for 20th century martyrs in the Colosseum, when the Parkinson’s stricken Pontiff hand-wrote Romero’s name on a draft list of those to be honored. But John Paul’s most enduring tribute may be his 1983 war time visit to El Salvador, and the unscheduled detour to Romero’s grave in the shuttered Cathedral, in which he called Romero a “zealous pastor, whom love of God and service of brethren drove to surrender his life in a violent manner, while he celebrated the Sacrament of forgiveness and reconciliation.” (Remarks at San Salvador Cathedral, March 6, 1983—in Spanish.)

YouTube video: John Paul in El Salvador (1983—in Spanish)

The theologian Jon Sobrino has written, “Karol Wojtyla’s photograph ... praying at the tomb of Archbishop Romero and the words with which he referred to him … ha[ve] been instrumental as a condition sine qua non to start and continue the [Romero beatification] process.” (Sobrino, El proceso de canonización de Monseñor Romero [Romero’s canonization process], ECA magazine, March 2000, pp. 243-254—in Spanish.)

NEXT: Benedict XVI

PREVIOUSLY IN THIS SERIES:

Leo XIII (1878-1903) (Spanish)
St. Pius X (1903-1914)
Benedict XV (1914-1922) (Italian)
Pius XI (1929-1939) (Spanish)
Pius XII (1939-1958)
John XXIII (1958-1963) (Spanish)
Paul VI (1963-1978)
John Paul I (1978) (Italian)

Background

Romero's fidelity to John Paul
No hostile reception
John Paul's remarks about Romero

«LA CHIESA DI GIOVANNI PAOLO I»

Monsignor Romero e i Papi (continuazione)

[Indice (Inglese)]

Tre giorni dopo l'improvvisa morte del “Papa del sorriso”, Oscar Romero ha onorato il Pontefice caduto. Ha detto, “Chiameremo questa omelia: la Chiesa di Giovanni Paolo I” (pontificato: 33 giorni nel 1978). Questa è una serie sulla fedeltà di Romero ai papi ed i loro insegnamenti sociali. “Questa mattina”, ha continuato a dire, “vi invito a fare la nostra riflessione sulla Parola di Dio un omaggio di fede, di gratitudine, di affetto, di ricordi, verso questa persona che, in poco più di un mese, ha conquistato i cuori del mondo”. (Omelia del 1° ottobre 1978, disponibile in spagnolo qui, e in inglese qui.)

Romero ha chiesto, “Qual è nostra storia, Santo Padre, che la Chiesa della nostra arcidiocesi in lutto vi offre questa settimana?” Ha poi riassunto tutte le attività dell'arcidiocesi, dal più piccolo gruppo di preghiera, agli atti dell'arcivescovo, con dovizia di particolari, e ha discusso il nome del defunto Papa, facendo notare che la Scrittura del giorno citato GIOVANNI Battista e l'apostolo PAOLO.

Romero ha affermato che, “Un mese fa, come un mendicante,” Giovanni Paolo è apparso a San Pietro, “chiedendo ogni cardinale per la bontà della sua amicizia e collaborazione e assistenza”. Ha aggiunto: “Questa è l'umiltà e questa è la kenosi della Chiesa: Sperimentare che questo umile, povero Cristo, spogliò se stesso della grandezza di Dio, e accompagna ora questa Chiesa che si deve caratterizzare con la kenosi stessa”.

“Cari fratelli e sorelle”, ha detto: “Vediamo ora celebrare la nostra Eucaristia, perché abbiamo riflettuto sulla Parola divina dei profeti, una Parola che è diventata viva con i papi recenti, una Parola che ha consegnato un messaggio a noi attraverso la morte di Giovanni Paolo, una Parola che proclama a noi che la nostra Chiesa è una di conversione e dà speranza ai peccatori”.

Due giorni dopo, Romero ha analizzato “la dimensione gerarchica, la dimensione cristiana e la dimensione mariana” della vita del Papa Luciani. (Omelia del 3° ottobre 1978, disponibile qui—in inglese.) Per quanto riguarda la dimensione cristiana, ha osservato il motto del Papa, «Humilitas», e l'umiltà che ha dimostrato quando ha rifiutato la tiara e la sedia gestatoria. “Giovanni Paolo,” ha detto Romero, “ha ricordato con affetto i tempi in cui aveva dovuto camminare senza scarpe, e ha vissuto la vera povertà nella casa di suo padre che era un lavoratore a giornata e sua madre che era impiegata in un ospedale”.

Romero ha insistito, “La Chiesa dei poveri non è demagogia. Cristo ha voluto a gioire per la felicità di essere poveri e quindi il Papa ha indicato la via per la Chiesa che vive nella sua povertà, l'ispirazione autentica di Cristo, che ha iniziato con l'insegnamento: «Beati i poveri»!”

“Giovanni Paolo I è amato da tutta la Chiesa”, Romero ha concluso, “perché sapeva di non essere semplicemente un membro della gerarchia che ha comandato e governato, ma ha saputo essere un cristiano che ha dato l'esempio agli altri.”

PROSSIMO: Giovanni Paolo II

Altre note in Italiano in questo blog:

Perché beatificare lui
Romero e i Papi: Benedetto XV
Obama visita tomba di Romero
Il padre Rutilio Grande
Nuovo concetto di Romero

“COURAGE! YOU ARE THE ONE IN CHARGE!:” PAUL VI

Archbishop Romero and the Popes (cont’d)

[Index]

Archbishop Romero said outright that Pope Paul VI (pontificate: 1963-1978) was the man “who continually enlightens my thinking [on] ... matters [of the social doctrine of the Church]”, and he elegized the Pontiff as having struck the right balance between secular and spiritual concerns—“a man who understood the present time and never betrayed the eternal Word.” (November 19, 1978 Homily.) —This is a series on Romero’s fidelity to the popes and their social teachings.— “Your bishop, my sisters and brothers,” Romero told his flock, “is in communion with Peter who today is called Paul VI.” (April 9, 1978 Hom.) Paul’s papal infallibility, Romero preached, “assures people that the doctrine of Paul VI is the doctrine of Peter and the doctrine of Jesus Christ,” and Romero’s communion with Paul should assure them, “that the doctrine that the humble Archbishop of San Salvador preaches to the people is also the truth.” (July 2, 1978 Hom.)

Under the pontificate of Giovanni Battista Montini, Msgr. Romero had been created a bishop in 1970, appointed the ordinary in Santiago de Maria in 1974, elevated to a prestigious post as a consultor on Paul’s Pontifical Commission on Latin America in 1975, and appointed Archbishop of San Salvador in 1977. When Romero visited the Pontiff in late March 1977 after taking over the Archdiocese of San Salvador, it was a crowning moment. The Pope “singled him out among the others present at the audience and introduced him to the group.” (James BROCKMAN, Romero: A Life. New York: Orbis Books, 1989, p. 20).

But, Romero had started out as a tenuous follower of a man he called “the most reforming Pontiff in history.” (O.A.R., El Papa del equilibrio [The Pope of Balance], DIARIO DE ORIENTE, vol. 30858, p. 1, June 26, 1973, available here—in Spanish.) Looking back on the first decade of Paul’s pontificate in 1973, Romero marveled, “How far he has taken us already!” (DIARIO, Ibid.) The next year, Romero was still aghast at Paul’s prodigious reforms. The Second Vatican Council (the internal Church reforms launched by John XXIII in the 1960s), Romero noted, “had only been the starting point for Paul VI. He has been and continues to be,” Romero wrote, “the most intrepid driver of that ambitious and broad reform program” of Vatican II. (O.A.R., El Papa del Concilio y del Año Santo [The Pope of the Council and of the Holy Year], DIARIO DE ORIENTE, vol. 30907, p. 1, July 4, 1974, available here—in Spanish.)

Óscar Romero had gone along with Paul’s reforms because of Romero’s personal obedience to the Church, because he had met the Pope and was drawn in by his personality and, most of all, because of the masterful integrity of Paul’s teachings, especially his social magisterium. As Pope Benedict has stated, Paul VI, “identified the heart of the Christian social message” («CARITAS IN VERITATE,» ¶13). Romero cited Pope Paul VI often in his homilies, pastoral letters, and other preachings. Although it would not be practical to catalog all of the references, Romero liked to cite Paul’s «EVANGELII NUNTIANDI,» especially, for the proposition that liberation, though necessary, cannot be divorced from transcendence (See, e.g., Oct. 23, 1977; Apr. 30, Jun. 4, and Sep. 10, 1978; and Aug. 5 and 26, 1979 homilies). Romero cited «POPULORUM PROGRESSIO» frequently—and, often, at length—to justify his actions (See, e.g., Jul. 10 and Oct. 9, 1977; Jan. 1, and 15, Feb. 5 and 26, and Sept. 24, 1978 homilies). He also quoted from Paul’s «OCTAGESIMA ADVENIENS» (See, March 5, 1978 Hom.)

In addition to citing Paul’s principal social documents, Romero also pointed to other examples from the Pope’s public ministry. “When we spoke privately,” Romero told the faithful, “the Pope said to me: ‘We preach not only with words because our preaching must also be a testimony of our whole life’.” (July 2, 1978 Hom.) And so, Romero cited Paul’s visit to the Holy Land to urge the faithful to imitate the humility of the Holy Family. (December 30, 1979 Hom.) Romero used Paul’s visit to the U.N. to underline the thought that the Church has something to offer to political leaders because the Church is “an expert in humanity.” (March 2, 1980 Hom.) Romero cited Paul’s humanism (July 17, 1977 Hom.), and pointed to Paul’s appeal for the life of Aldo Moro to denounce kidnappings and killings by the Left in El Salvador (May 21, 1978 Hom.). He even pointed to Paul’s condemnation of contraception as an argument for social justice: “ ‘How sad the fate of human beings to have to deprive people of participating in the banquet of life because they do not know how to share. It is not a question of depriving people from entering the banquet of life but rather one of serving the tables in a way that everyone receives some bread’.” (February 24, 1980 Hom.)

The admiration was mutual, because Paul VI consistently was supportive of Romero:

• When Paul VI first met Romero in 1974, when Romero became Bishop of Santiago de Maria, Romero showed him where Santiago de Maria was on a map, and Paul promised to pray for the tiny diocese. (O.A.R., Como signo de Comunión con el Papa [A Sign of Communion with the Pope], DIARIO DE ORIENTE, vol. 30930, p. 1, November 23, 1974, available here—in Spanish.) Paul gave him $5,000 as a gift for the diocese, and the Pontifical Commission gave Romero an additional $3,000, plus a complete set of Vatican publications dating back to 1909. (BROCKMAN, Op. Cit., p. 53.) The Pontiff told the new bishop: “Continue onward, follow your line, follow your style, don’t be afraid to profess and teach what you have learned in the magisterium of the Church.” (DIARIO, Ibid.)
• In October 1975, Romero met with Paul again, and “told him how much we Salvadorans love him and respect him,” when his turn came to greet the Pontiff. Romero gave the Pope a record of Salvadoran folkloric music, which the Pope promised to listen to. (O.A.R., Un ‘Romero’ del Año Santo [A Holy Year ‘Pilgrim’ (in Spanish, romero = “pilgrim”)], DIARIO DE ORIENTE, p. 1, November 9, 1975, available here—in Spanish.)
• In March 1977, Romero met with the Pope, after the assassination of Fr. Rutilio Grande, and after Romero started his archbishopric on a decidedly strong note of denunciation. When Romero attempted to explain his actions, “The Pope took both of Romero’s hands in his and urged him: ‘Courage! You are the one in charge!’ ” (BROCKMAN, Supra., p. 20.)
• The final meeting between Archibishop Romero and Pope Paul VI took place on June 21, 1978. The Pontiff told Romero “that he understood how difficult his work as archbishop was and that it was often misunderstood.” (BROCKMAN, Ibid., p. 131.) This meeting, Romero noted, “left me with the satisfaction of a confirmation in my Faith, in my service, in my joy to work and to suffer with Christ, for the Church, and for our people.” (His Diary, June 21, 1978.)

Archbishop Romero followed Pope Paul's leadership on development and social justice, he looked to the Pope for confirmation, and the Pope approved of his faithful discliple’s ministry.

NEXT: John Paul

Background:

Paul as father figure to Wojtila, Ratzinger & Romero

Benedict's tribute to Paul VI

“EL INOLVIDABLE”: Beato JUAN XXIII

Mons. Romero y los Papas (continuación)

[Índice]

Cuando Mons. Romero citó “Una de las bellas páginas de Juan XXIII” (pontificado: 1958-1963) en su Homilía del 4 de septiembre de 1977, bien pudo haberse referido a una de las cartas encíclicas del recordado pontífice; también pudo haber querido referirse a uno de los documentos del Concilio Vaticano II, convocado por el Papa Roncalli. De hecho, la referencia era a una de las “páginas” comunes y corrientes de la vida ordinaria del jefe de la Iglesia conocido por los fieles como “Il Papa Buono” (el papa bueno). Esta es una serie sobre la fidelidad de Mons. Romero a los papas, particularmente a sus enseñanzas sociales.

De hecho, la “página” que Mons. Romero quería señalar en aquella homilía de 1977 era una meditación de Pacelli cuando era un diplomático importante de la Santa Sede. Su oración era: “ ‘Señor, concédeme que conserve siempre la sencillez que aprendí en mi hogar, que no la vaya a perder, porque muchas veces se pierde en estos ambientes diplomáticos, políticos, consérvame, Señor, la sencillez de tu sabiduría’ ”. (Hom. sept. 1977, Supra.) Mons. Romero recordaba que Juan “nunca se avergonzó de su origen campesino”. (“La Iglesia y las Organizaciones Políticas Populares”, Tercera Carta Pastoral de Mons. Romero, 6 de agosto de 1978.) Y “Cuando los papás de Juan XXIII cumplían 50 años de casados”, recordaba Monseñor, el pontífice les envió una carta, diciéndoles, “ ‘hace mucho tiempo que salí de la casa de ustedes; he estudiado en muchos colegios; he leído muchos libros; pero en ninguna parte he aprendido lo que aprendí [con] ustedes’ ”. (Hom. 31 de diciembre de 1978.)

Monseñor llamó a este papa, “el inolvidable Juan XXIII” (Hom. 1 de octubre de 1978) y nunca olvidó la serenidad Juan XXIII al enfrentar su muerte, diciendo que la cama sería su altar. Esto ayudó a Mons. Romero en su ministerio de atender a enfermos. Según la superior de las monjas del Hospitalito donde Mons. Romero vivía, “Antes o después de la hora santa, pasaba Monseñor al hospital a saludar a los enfermitos, por quienes tenía un cariño especial y les decía: ‘Ustedes son el Cristo sufriente y su cama es la cruz’.” (Las hermanas del Hospitalito recuerdan a Monseñor, Carta a las Iglesias, Año XX, Nº.443-444, 1-29 de febrero del 2000.) La agonía de Juan XXIII había sido muy impactante: “cómo murió Juan XXIII, casi a la vista de todo el mundo”, recordaba Mons. Romero. (Hom. 3 de septiembre de 1978.) Antes de la pasión del Beato Juan Pablo II, el fin de Juan XXIII había sido la más ventilada: “Yo no he visto una muerte más pública que aquella que iba diciendo minuto a minuto, la vida que se iba apagando, la hostia que se estaba consumando”. (Ibid.) Este era el ejemplo que Mons. Romero proponía a los “queridos enfermitos que me escuchan—sé que me están escuchando allá en el querido hospital de la Divina Providencia, como en tantos otros hospitales y en tantos lechos de enfermo”. (Hom. 23 de abril de 1978.)  Les predicaba que, “el refugio es el lugar donde también trabajan los enfermos”, ya que el enfermo puede ofrecer su enfermedad como sacrificio al Señor: “Que ofrezca su dolor, que ofrezca su enfermedad. Esto tiene valor”. (Hom. 23 de marzo de 1980.)

Evidentemente, Monseñor le acreditaba mucho merito a esta autenticidad de Juan XXIII, y de hecho esta autenticidad hizo su mensaje más conmovedor: “muchas de las ideas avanzadas por Juan ya habían sido expresadas por su predecesor Pío XII. Lo que le dio originalidad y vitalidad a estas ideas fue el espíritu Juanino”. (The Lasting Vision of Pope John [La visión duradera del Papa Juan], TIME, 26 de febrero de 1965.) Por ejemplo, cuando Mons. Romero cita a Juan en su defensa de los derechos de los campesinos, no deja de recordar que el papa “que nunca se avergonzó de su origen campesino, abogó por los cambios necesarios para [proteger a] los campesinos”. (Tercera Carta Pastoral, Supra.)

Cuando Juan publicó su carta encíclica «MATER ET MAGISTRA» en 1961, Romero reconoció de inmediato el lugar que la nueva encíclica tendría en los capítulos de la doctrina social. “Hace 70 años la Iglesia, gracias a la sabiduría de León XIII y su inmortal Rerum Novarum”, tomó cartas en el asunto, y “la nueva encíclica de Juan XXIII resume la enseñanza social de la Iglesia de estos 70 años”, escribió Romero. (O.A.R., Editorial ‘Mater et Magistra’, Sem. CHAPARRASTIQUE No.2373 Pág. 1, 21 Junio 1961, disponible aquí.) También reconoció “La cálida acogida que ha comenzado a recibir la nueva encíclica, por parte de gobiernos y pueblos civilizados”. (Ibid.) Dos años después, Juan publicó «PACEM IN TERRIS», que fue recibida de inmediato como “uno de los documentos más profundos e importantes de nuestra edad”. (TIME, Op. Cit.) En su momento, Romero alabó “la maravillosa carta del Padre Santo que ya va estremeciendo el mundo aún en los ámbitos enemigos de la Iglesia”. (O.A.R., Editorial ‘Pacem in Terris’, Sem. CHAPARRASTIQUE No. 2893 Pág. 1, 19 Abril 1963, disponible acá.)

La “última homilía” de Mons. Romero del día antes de su martirio hace eco de las encíclicas de Juan XXIII, quien había dicho en la «PACEM IN TERRIS» que cuando una ley o disposición (o sea, orden) es “opuesta a la voluntad de Dios ... ni la ley promulgada ni la disposición dictada pueden obligar en conciencia al ciudadano, ya que es necesario obedecer a Dios antes que a los hombres”. («PACEM» ¶ 51.) Y Mons. Romero predicó el 23 de marzo: “Ningún soldado está obligado a obedecer una orden contra la Ley de Dios. Una ley inmoral, nadie tiene que cumplirla. Ya es tiempo de que recuperen su conciencia y que obedezcan antes a su conciencia que a la orden del pecado”. (Hom. marzo 1980, Supra.) En gran parte, por estas palabras, el siguiente día, fue asesinado. Palabras que en 1963 fueron elogiadas como “un vistazo de cómo podría parecer el mundo si fuera gobernado por el amor”. (TIME, Ibid.) Palabras empapadas del “el espíritu Juanino”.

SIGUE: Pablo VI

THE “SATANIC CARICATURE:” PIUS XII

Archbishop Romero and the Popes (cont’d)

[Index]

Half a century before he was smeared as “Hitler's Pope” (in a 1999 book by John Cornwell), Pius XII (pontificate: 1939-1958) was accused of sympathy for the fascists, and the newly ordained Fr. Oscar Romero (photo) was horrified by the criticism. “Great blasphemies are horribly unforgettable,” he wrote in a diocesan publication, “and I will never forget a satanic caricature that depicted [Pope Pius XII] in an unseemly embrace with Hitler and Mussolini.” (O.A.R., El papa y las responsabilidades de la Guerra [The Pope and the responsibilities of war], CHAPARRASTIQUE, No.1574 p. 1, July 15, 1945, available here—in Spanish.) This is a series on Romero’s fidelity to the popes and their social teachings. 

The accusation against Pius was, “False,” Romero declared: “The serene word of the Vatican in the midst of political storms and great errors has spoken clearly to anyone who wishes to hear it,” he wrote. (CHAP., Ibid.) Later, as archbishop, Romero still recalled Pius as a “venerable” (April 23, 1978 Sermon) and “great” Pontiff (August 15, 1977 Sermon).

Pius had won Romero over as soon as he emerged from the balcony of St. Peter’s as Supreme Pontiff and revealed his papal motto—Opus justitiae pax (“Peace is the fruit of justice”). Peace, Romero would preach, is “defined using the words of the prophet Isaiah and Pope Pius XII who used the following motto on his coat of arms: Opus justitiae pax.” (Pius’ motto is taken from Isaiah 32:17—July 3, 1977 Sermon.) “Any other peace is fictitious and mere words,” Romero insisted, citing Pius’s motto. (April 23, 1978 Sermon.) “No one can speak of peace with a pistol or a rifle in hand; this is fear,” Romero expounded: “This is the peace of death and repression, but not true peace,” he said. “There will only be peace when there is justice.” (July 1977, Ibid.) In his last pastoral letter, Romero harkened to Pius’s message of peace, quoting him: “ ‘Nothing is lost by peace, everything may be lost in war’.” (The Church's Mission amid the National Crisis, Fourth Pastoral Letter of Archbishop Romero, August 6, 1979.)

In his first encyclical letter, Pius denounced fascist claims of racial superiority (Christianity reveals “the consciousness of universal brotherhood”) and dictatorship itself (it is wrong to “accord the civil authority an unrestricted field of action that is at the mercy ... of the interests of a few”), saying they were the two great errors of the modern age. («SUMMI PONTIFICATUS,» ¶¶ 49, 52.) Romero would accord great moral authority to Pius’s pronouncements, and he would later recall that Pius had not only condemned Communism, but also the excesses of the other extreme. “Pope Pius XII published a document,” Romero said, “to condemn Marxism. There is no problem with this...” (August 20, 1978 Sermon.) But, this was only half the story.

The Church had also condemned, Romero recalled, “the form of anti-communism that is inspired not just by Christian principles but also by selfish interests, interests that from the time of Pope Pius XII have been called accomplices of communism,” because their red-baiting fails to address the conditions that provide a breeding ground for revolutions, and thus invite communism. (July 9, 1978 Sermon.) In his second pastoral letter, Archbishop Romero quoted Pope Pacelli, who had remarked that, “ ‘some of the advocates of the right to private property ... manage only, even more successfully than their opponents, to put it in danger’.” (The Church, The Body of Christ in History, Second Pastoral Letter of Archbishop Romero, August 6, 1977.)

Doubtlessly, Romero also revered Pius, who was called “Pastor Angelicus,” for his spiritual stewardship of the Church. It had been Pius who, in his Apostolic constitution «MUNIFICENTISSIMUS DEUS,» had declared the doctrine of the bodily Assumption of Mary—and set the Feast of the Assumption on August 15, the day that Romero was born. Romero wholeheartedly approved of the Pope’s action, arguing that, “The great Pontiff, Pius XII,” did not “invent the fact that Mary was assumed body and soul into heaven.” (August 15, 1977 Sermon, supra.) The Pope had only confirmed the fact by virtue of his institutional authority, Romero said, but, “We believe this truth, not because the Holy Father has spoken, but because God has spoken, and revealed this to us in Sacred Scripture and the living tradition of the Church.” (Ibid.)

And Romero always recalled Pius’s radio message to Salvadoran Catholics in 1942, in which he assured that Christ the Savior “will save your country and make it great, attaining for it even greater material prosperity, uniting every heart as one, of all the social classes, of the rich and of the poor, on the day that all shall wish to sit together as brethren at the same table.” (Pius XII’s Radio Message to the First National Eucharistic Congress of El Salvador, November 26, 1942—in Spanish). Romero cited the message in his third pastoral letter and it became a cornerstone of Romero’s preaching on Christ’s liberation.

Like Pius XII, Romero, too, was maligned and “caricatured” by his critics. He identified with Pius from the day he offered his first Mass during Pius’s pontificate, beseeching God to “Govern with constant protection your servant, the Roman Pontiff.” (Memorial Card, Oscar A. Romero—My First Solemn Mass, Ciudad Barrios, January 11, 1944.)

NEXT: John XXIII

“EL PAPA QUE MÁS ADMIRO”: PIO XI

Mons. Romero y los Papas (continuación)

[Índice]

Al inaugurar una fuente dedicada al Papa Pío XI (pontificado: 1929-1939) en el Vaticano, el cardenal Secretario de Estado Tarcisio Bertone recordó que Mons. Romero, siendo seminarista en Roma, se refirió a Achille Ratti/Pío XI como un “pontífice de estatura imperial”. (Pio XI nelle nuove fonti vaticane, TU ES PETRUS, 29 de febrero del 2009.) De hecho, el mismo Mons. Romero confesó que, “Este es el papa que más admiro”. (Gianni VALENTE, I due tesori della Chiesa, revista 30 Giorni, abril del 2000. Esta es una serie sobre la fidelidad de Mons. Romero a los papas, particularmente a sus enseñanzas sociales.)

El pontífice hubiera parecido una figura predominante para el joven seminarista salvadoreño, y la afición de Romero por Pío XI surgía del haberlo visto y conocido. (Vincenzo Paglia, Ventotto anni fa l’uccisione durante la messa: Oscar Romero, un vescovo fedele al suo popolo, L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO, 27 de marzo del 2008, disponible aquí.) De hecho, el joven seminarista pudo acercarse al pontífice cuando sus restos reposaban en la basílica de San Pedro después de su muerte, y el joven Romero hasta se atrevió a tocar el brazo del fallecido Santo Padre. (James BROCKMAN, Romero: A Life [Romero: Una vida]. Nueva York: Orbis Books, 1989, pág. 37). Desde esa perspectiva de primera fila, Romero pudo ver de cerca el actuar de un prelado que se tuvo que enfrentar con los más potentes de la tierra con firmeza y convicción.

“La oposición del papa al fascismo y al nazismo impresionaron a Romero, quien se mantuvo su devoto por el resto de su vida,” escribe su biógrafo. (Ibid.) En su ministerio en San Salvador, Mons. Romero citaría el ejemplo de Pío XI para justificar su propia actuación como arzobispo, cuando era acusado de meterse en la política. “Una frase muy hermosa del Papa Pío XI”, recordó Mons. Romero, explicando: “yo era estudiante en Roma y me emocionó mucho”. Después cita las palabras del papa: “ ‘La Iglesia no hace política, pero cuando la política toca su altar, la Iglesia defiende su altar’ ”. (Homilía del 8 de mayo de 1977.) Mons. Romero agregaría su propio corolario: “El que toca a uno de mis sacerdotes, a mí me toca”.  (Hom. 20 de marzo de 1977.)

“Como dijo Pío XI cuando en Roma se enarbolaba la Cruz de Hitler (la esvástica)”, recordaba Mons. Romero, parafraseando al papa: “ ‘se ha enarbolado en Roma una Cruz que no es la Cruz de Cristo’ ”. Fue por eso que, “aquel Papa valiente se retiró de Roma y dijeron en el mundo diplomático, que había sido un bofetón al más grande de aquel momento: a Hitler”. (Hom. del 3 de septiembre de 1978.) Esto le servía a Mons. Romero para justificar su actuación al boicotear funciones públicas con el gobierno salvadoreño

De igual manera, Mons. Romero citó el ejemplo de Pío XI para explicar el por qué estaba dispuesto a reunirse con grupos opositores que algunos tildaban de extremistas, para mediar entre los diversos sectores de la sociedad conflictiva en que se encontraba. “También hermanos”, decía Mons. Romero, “ante las razones que se pueden oponer al diálogo, yo quiero recordar una frase quizá muy graciosa pero eficaz, del Papa Pío XI, hombre que no se puede criticar de débil, hombre que tuvo que enfrentarse a Hitler y a Mussolini”, recordaba enfatizando. “Y decía Pío XI: ‘El diálogo es el camino de muchas soluciones; y si fuera por el bien de la Iglesia, yo dialogaría hasta con el mismo demonio’.” (Hom. 13 de noviembre de 1977.)

Pío XI fue “un Papa de frases cortas y bien cinceladas”, decía Mons. Romero (Hom. 9 de septiembre de 1979), hombre que tuvo que entrar al campo de la geopolítica y enfrentarse con los poderosos, pero también fue un pontífice sumamente bondadoso y espiritual, tal como Mons. Romero. En su carta encíclica «QUADRAGESIMO ANNO», que marcaba el 40° aniversario de la fundamental «RERUM NOVARUM» de León XIII, el Papa Pío XI había declarado sin ambigüedad alguna que la Iglesia tiene “el derecho y el deber de juzgar con autoridad suprema sobre ... materias sociales y económicas”. (QUADRAGESIMO ANNO, 15 de mayo de 1931, ¶ 41.) En ella habló de la “justicia social” que después aplicaría Mons. Romero en su ministerio:

A cada cual, por consiguiente, debe dársele lo suyo en la distribución de los bienes, siendo necesario que la partición de los bienes creados se revoque y se ajuste a las normas del bien común o de la justicia social, pues cualquier persona sensata ve cuán gravísimo trastorno acarrea consigo esta enorme diferencia actual entre unos pocos cargados de fabulosas riquezas y la incontable multitud de los necesitados.

(Ibid., ¶ 58.)

Pío XI dejó a la Iglesia la Fiesta de Cristo Rey, que Mons. Romero celebró reverentemente. Al celebrar la fiesta, Monseñor nos recuerda que, “explica el Papa Pío XI, cuando proclamó la fiesta de Cristo Rey”, que Cristo “juzgará ... las conciencias de los políticos y de los ricos y de los pobres también, desde unas perspectivas escatológicas, de reino de los cielos, de trascendencia”. (Hom. 14 de enero de 1979.) “Esa fue la mente del Papa Pío XI”—predicaba Monseñor—al instituir la fiesta entre las divisiones de una sociedad bélica. “Las guerras trastornan el universo, desunen a los hombres, arrastran hacia el pecado a los pueblos; hay desuniones, hay materialismo. El Papa decía: ‘Para que este mundo dividido, materialista, encuentre un camino de solución, señalamos éste: Cristo Rey’.” (Hom. 25 de noviembre de 1979.) Después de predicarlo desde el altar, se congratuló de haberlo hecho: “Celebré en la Basílica ... Hicimos la consagración al Corazón de Jesús, tal como el Papa Pío XI lo recomendó al establecer esta fiesta”. (Su Diario, domingo, 25 de noviembre de 1979.)

Si bien al principio fue adulación, por un joven seminarista a una figura espectacular en el escenario global visto de cerca, esa admiración se convirtió en una verdadera imitación cuando Mons. Romero tuvo su hora de prueba y tomó el esquema de Pío XI como un modelo a seguir.

SIGUE: Pío XII

«UNA LAMPADA VOTIVA DELLA PACE»: BENEDETTO XV

Monsignor Romero e i Papi (continuazione)

[Indice (Inglese)]

Per Mons. Oscar Romero, il Papa Benedetto XV (pontificato: 1914-1922) era “come una lampada votiva della pace nel mezzo del baccano della prima guerra mondiale.” (O.A. Romero, Nuestra Senora de la Paz [Nostra Signora della Pace], Sem. CHAPARRASTIQUE, No.2025 pp. 1 e 4, 8 gennaio 1955, disponibile qui—nello Spagnolo. Questo é una serie circa la fedeltà di Romero ai papi, particolarmente ai loro insegnamenti sociali.)

Il presente pontifice ha detto:

Ho voluto chiamarmi Benedetto XVI per riallacciarmi idealmente al venerato pontefice Benedetto XV, che ha guidato la Chiesa in un periodo travagliato a causa del primo conflitto mondiale. Fu coraggioso e autentico profeta di pace e si adoperò con strenuo coraggio dapprima per evitare il dramma della guerra e poi per limitarne le conseguenze nefaste.

(Benedetto XVI, Udienza Generale, 27 aprile 2005.)

Il stesso pontifice ha detto che, “Mons. Romero è stato certamente un grande testimone della fede, un uomo di grande virtù cristiana, che si è impegnato per la pace e contro la dittatura e che è stato ucciso durante la celebrazione della Messa.” (Intervista ai Giornalisti durante il Volo verso a Brazile, 9 maggio 2007.)  In la omelia nella messa delle esequie del padre Rutilio Grande, Mons. Romero ha detto: “la Chiesa sta dicendo: Sì, c'è una soluzione, la soluzione è l'amore, la soluzione è la fede, la soluzione è sentire la Chiesa non come nemica, la Chiesa come il punto di ritrovo di Dio con gli uomini” (Omelia 14 marzo 1977.).

Mons. Romero si ricorda che il Papa Benedetto XV ha autorizzato l'incoronazione dell’immagine miracolosa di Nostra Signora della pace, a cui Romero è molto devoto per tuta la vita. Per Romero, la l'incoronazione della Regina della Pace per questo profeta di pace, patrona della diocesi di San Miguel (il Arcangelo Michele), dove Romero è il vescovo, è un fatto molto simbolico. 

Anche come Mons. Romero, Benedetto XV ha trattato con circostanze difficili in quale il papa ha boicottato le apparizioni pubbliche con i governi nazionali per disaccordi di stato (la “questione romana”). Ciò è la stessa situazione che Romero ha avuta a San Salvador negli anni 80.

In la sua pastorale, Mons. Romero ho stato anche “una lampada votiva della pace” come il coraggioso pontifice della prima guerra mondiale.

PROSSIMO: Pio XI

Altre note in Italiano in questo blog:

Perché beatificare lui
Romero e i Papi: Giovanni Paolo I
Obama visita tomba di Romero
Il padre Rutilio Grande
Nuovo concetto di Romero

“BORN POOR ... LIVED POOR ... DIED POOR”: ST. PIUS X

Archbishop Romero and the Popes (cont’d)

[Index]

In February 1980, Archbishop Oscar Romero made his last trip to Rome. Upon arriving in the Eternal City, Romero made his customary pilgrimage, first to the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament in St. Peter’s Basilica, and then to the Tombs of St. Peter and St. Pius X (pope from 1903 to 1914), in the grottoes under the church floors. This was “the tour I have always liked to make,” Romero wrote. (His Diary, Jan. 28, 1980.) Upon the tomb of Pius, the last pope to be canonized a saint, Romero liked to “pray[] intensely, recalling all the intercessors who mean [something] to me, especially ... St. Peter and the latter popes.” (Ibid., May 9, 1979.)

Archbishop Romero lionized the sainted pontiff as “the father of our ecclesiastical province”—the Pope who created the Archdiocese of San Salvador when he promoted it from a suffragan diocese and “elevated it to the rank of Metropolitan See.” (The Easter Church, First Pastoral Letter of Archbishop Romero proclaimed on Easter Sunday, April 10, 1977.) “It was,” Romero recalled, “on the feast of Lourdes, February 11, 1913 that Saint Pius X created our ecclesial Diocese.” (February 10, 1980 Sermon.) For, “previously the Republic of El Salvador was composed of one Diocese and in 1913 three dioceses were created: Santa Ana, San Miguel, and the diocese of San Salvador was elevated to the status of an archdiocese.” (Ibid.)

But, it was more than institutional devotion that drew the Archbishop of San Salvador to the Pope who had created the Archdiocese of San Salvador. When Pius was canonized in 1954, Romero was a priest in the San Miguel province in eastern El Salvador, writing for the diocesan newspaper. In his weekly column, Father Romero noted Pius’ virtues: He embodied, “Poetry of perfection of the spirit and the practice of poverty,” Romero marveled. (O.A. Romero, La santidad de Pio X [The holiness of Pius X], Semanario CHAPARRASTIQUE, No.2014 Pg. 1, May 21, 1954, available here—in Spanish.) Many of the virtues Romero celebrates in Pius X in the article would later be attributed to Romero himself: that he prayed incessantly, especially before making major decisions; that he practiced devotion to the Blessed Sacrament; that he went to confession often; that he was devoted to the Virgin; and that he was humble in his interpersonal style. (Ibid.) It seems likely that Romero modeled his pastoral style, at least in part, on Pius.

The Pope was generous with those in need. When a large earthquake and tsunami struck the Sicilian city of Messina in 1908, Pius ordered the doors of the Apostolic Palace to be thrown open to refugees from the disaster. (R.J.B. BOSWORTH, The Messina Earthquake of 28 December 1908, European History Quarterly April 1981, vol. 11 no. 2, pp. 189-206.) Romero took a similar line when he was Bishop of Santiago de Maria in eastern El Salvador, prior to being appointed Archbishop of San Salvador. When he discovered that seasonal coffee harvesters were sleeping in the town’s main square, exposed to the elements, he recruited his younger brother to implement a Pius-like plan. “He went to the Episcopal Palace,” his brother recalls, “he emptied a dining hall and he told me: ‘From tomorrow on, you will bring all those people, as many of them as will fit,’ and then he asked the ladies from the church social groups to provide coffee, milk, water, gruel, rice or beans, whatever was available, to all these people who arrived exhausted from working since six in the evening.” (Gloria Silvia Orellana, “Monseñor Romero me enseñó a perdonar” [Msgr. Romero taught me to forgive], DIARIO CO LATINO, March 24, 2010.)

When Pius died, his will stated, “I was born poor, I have lived poor, and I wish to die poor.” (Religion: Blessed Pius, TIME magazine, Monday, June 11, 1951.) It was Pius’ practice of poverty that most impressed Romero, as early as 1954, when he wrote the article praising Pius’ canonization. In that article, Romero recounted that, after becoming pope, Pius continued to use the same personal articles that he owned before becoming pope, that he treated the Church’s wealth as something sacred, and that he gave away all of his personal possessions down to the last cent. “He died poor, as he had lived,” Romero stated with approval. (CHAP., Op. Cit.) After Romero was martyred, a volunteer for the Archdiocesan Legal Aid Office making an inventory of Romero’s possessions noted that his personal effects were limited to his books, a short wave radio, a rocking chair, and a simple iron bed like those that were sold in San Salvador’s central market. His most valuable possession was his bishop’s ring. “He was a man who lived in poverty,” said the volunteer—a law student then, but today a magistrate on El Salvador’s Supreme Court. (Plática con Florentín Meléndez [Chat with Florentín Meléndez], EL FARO, January 15, 2007.)

Archbishop Romero’s pastoral style was inspired by—and, in various respects, similar to—the holiness of the last pope to be canonized as a saint.

NEXT: Benedict XV

LA “INTELIGENCIA MARAVILLOSA” DE LEÓN XIII

Mons. Romero y los Papas

[Índice]

Como gran exponente de la justicia social del catolicismo, Mons. Romero miraba al Papa León XIII (pontificado: 1878-1903) como la “inteligencia maravillosa” que formuló la “Carta Magna de la Doctrina Social de la Iglesia”—la encíclica «Rerum Novarum» de 1891 que inauguró la serie de enseñanzas papales sobre la cuestión social en la era moderna. Mons. Romero señalaba como “tesoro de nuestro tiempo: las encíclicas desde Rerum Novarum de León XIII, hasta Populorum Progressio, Mater et Magistra, Pacem in Terris, el Concilio, Medellín, Puebla; una luz encendida sobre el ambiente injusto de nuestra América y del mundo”. (Homilía del 1 de julio de 1979.)

Las encíclicas nombradas por Mons. Romero, con el Concilio Vaticano Segundo y los sínodos de obispos de Medellín y Puebla, dibujan el esquema de la doctrina social católica y derivan de la obra de Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci: el Papa León XIII en «Rerum». Como lo narraba Óscar Romero en una nota de prensa escrita durante sus años de sacerdocio, “Más de un año gastó aquel anciano Pontífice en reflexiones, en consultas y trabajos para elaborar aquella Encíclica”. (O.A.R., Editorial, La 'Rerum Novarum’; Perenne y Urgente, CHAPARRASTIQUE, No.2265 Págs. 1 y 3, viernes, 26 de mayo de 1961, disponible aquí.)

Dos décadas después, Mons. Romero explicaba cómo la tesis de la «Rerum» era en contraposición a la tesis marxista. Mientras el socialismo suponía un conflicto entre burguesía y proletariado, la «Rerum» planteaba, “La unión del capital y trabajo”. (Hom. 2 de septiembre de 1979.) La solución más conveniente es la que “haga sentir al empresario que él sin el obrero no puede nada, como el obrero sin el empresario tampoco puede”. (Ibid.) “No podemos oponer capital y trabajo humano ... No tiene que arrogarse uno de los dos, el ser la parte determinante en el país; los dos juntos. Ni uno, ni otro tiene que olvidarse.” (Ibid.)

De hecho, la «Rerum» surgió como una alternativa papal al marxismo. Décadas atrás, Carlos Marx y Federico Engels declaraban su enemistad con las “las potencias de la vieja Europa” incluyendo “el Papa y el zar...” («Manifesto Comunista», 1848.) En la «Rerum», el Papa Pecci propone “una solución digna, conforme a la razón y la fe, de acuerdo con la justicia y el amor cristiano” como alternativa a la “solución de violencia, de odio, de fuerza bruta” de la revolución marxista. (Romero, CHAP., Supra.) Mons. Romero mantuvo la esperanza de una solución cristiana como alternativa a la solución violenta hasta el final: “Mis queridos cristianos, siempre les he dicho y lo repetiré, de aquí, del grupo cristiano, del Pueblo de Dios tienen que salir los hombres que van a ser los verdaderos liberadores de nuestro pueblo”. (Hom. 23 de marzo de 1980. Ver nota de pie sobre impugnación por Mons. Romero en contra de una posible violencia.)

Desde la «Rerum», Mons. Romero también recogía la idea de que la Iglesia posee elementos que la hacen propicia de mediar conflictos laborales, ya que “cuando León XIII escribió la encíclica «Rerum Novarum» justificó por qué la Iglesia era necesario que hablara en asuntos laborales e interviniera en los conflictos de patrono y de obreros, de patronos y trabajadores”. (Hom. 13 de noviembre de 1977.) De hecho, Mons. Romero citó la «Rerum» extensivamente para explicar la motivación de la intervención de su arzobispado para mediar dichos conflictos. Terminó su explicación diciendo que la intervención de la Iglesia en tales conflictos era para ver “que las leyes no sean solamente los voceros de una clase pudiente y no se quiere oír al trabajador, sino que la ley escucha a uno y a otro”. (Ibid.)

Afuera de la «Rerum», Mons. Romero veía al Papa León XII como el patriarca del magisterio de la Iglesia Latinoamericana, ya que, “en nuestro tiempo, el Papa León XIII, a fines del siglo pasado llamó a todos los obispos de América Latina a Roma para celebrar el Primer Concilio Plenario de América Latina, para transmitirles la doctrina y la disciplina del Concilio Vaticano I que se celebró en el Vaticano en 1870”. (Hom. 14 de enero de 1979.) Desde este Primer Concilio Plenario derivaban las reuniones modernas de CELAM en Río de Janeiro en 1958, en Medellín en 1968 y Puebla en 1979. En su segunda carta pastoral, Mons. Romero señala que, “han sido numerosísimos los documentos que ha publicado la Iglesia tratando de orientar lo que, en una época determinada, son los problemas cruciales de las sociedades con el interés de que, al denunciar los pecados y al apuntar a vías de solución, se vaya dando en el mundo el Reino de Dios”. (O.A. Romero, La iglesia, cuerpo de cristo en la historia, 6 de Agosto de 1977.)

Finalmente, Mons. Romero citó al Papa León para explicar la persecución de la Iglesia, como “algo necesario” desde la enseñanza de Cristo de que “Si a mí me persiguieron, también os perseguirán a vosotros”.

Y por eso, cuando un día le preguntaron al Papa León XIII, aquella inteligencia maravillosa de principios de nuestro siglo, cuáles son las notas que distinguen a la Iglesia Católica verdadera, el Papa dijo: “Ya las cuatro conocidas: una, santa, católica, apostólica; agreguemos otra -les dice el Papa-: perseguida”. No puede vivir la Iglesia que cumple con su deber sin ser perseguida.

(Hom. 29 de mayo de 1977.)

Y por todo esto, el papa León XIII, quien vivió y falleció años antes de que naciera Mons. Romero, constituye un verdadero animador de su proyecto pastoral profético.

SIGUE: San Pío X

POST DATUM

Algunos han mal interpretado la urgencia con cual Mons. Romero advertía—basándose en la «Rerum»—sobre sobre una posible violencia, como una aprobación de la misma. (Ver por ejemplo, Geovani Montalvo, Resistencia popular y el legado del obispo mártir Óscar Arnulfo Romero, Noticias ACA, 15 de marzo del 2011, parafraseando mensaje de Mons. Romero de que “suelten los anillos antes que les quiten los dedos”). Desde 1961, Mons. Romero solía citar un obispo italiano que aconsejaba a sus diocesanos, «spogliatevi, se non vi spoglieranno» (“despojaos sino os despojarán”). (CHAP., Op. Cit.) Mons. Romero seguía citando la frase como arzobispo, y explicó que su significado era que: “Participemos todos, compartamos como hermanos, todavía es tiempo de resolver con caridad y amor, con justicia y racionalidad, si no después nos despojarán a la fuerza y entonces sí será a base de sangre”. (Hom. 23 de septiembre de 1979 – el domingo siguiente también explicó que el obispo italiano había sido el mismo Giovanni Montini que llego a ser el papa Pablo VI.)