LETTER
OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS
TO
THE ARCHBISHOP OF SAN SALVADOR
ON
THE OCCASION OF THE BEATIFICATION
Mons. José Luis Escobar Alas
Archbishop of San Salvador
President of the Episcopal
Conference of El Salvador
Dear brother,
The beatification of Mons. Óscar Arnulfo Romero Galdámez, who was
pastor of this dear archdiocese, is a reason for great joy for Salvadorans and
for all those who enjoy the example of the
best sons of the Church. Mons. Romero, who built peace with the power of
love, bore witness to the faith with his life given to the extreme.
The Lord never abandons his people in difficulties, and he always shows
diligence in their needs. He sees the
oppression, hears the painful cries
of his children, and comes to their aid to free them from oppression and bring
them to a new land, fertile and spacious, “flowing with milk and honey (Ex
3:7-8).” Just as he chose Moses to lead his people in his name, he continues to
raise pastors after his own heart, who feed his flock with knowledge and
prudence.
In this beautiful Central American country, bathed by the Pacific
Ocean, the Lord granted to his Church a zealous bishop who, by loving God and
serving his brethren, became an image of Christ the Good Shepherd. In times of
difficult coexistence, Mons. Romero knew how to lead, defend and protect his
flock, remaining faithful to the Gospel and in communion with the entire
Church. His ministry was distinguished by a special attention to the poorest
and most marginalized. And in the moment of his death, while celebrating the
Holy Sacrifice of Love and Reconciliation, he received the grace of fully
identifying with the One who have his life for his sheep.
On this day of celebration for the Salvadoran nation, and also for the
beautiful Latin American countries, we give thanks to God because he granted a
martyr bishop the ability to see and hear the suffering of his people, and
was molding his heart so that, in his name, he will guide and enlighten, to
make his work a full exercise of Christian Charity.
The voice of the new Blessed continues to resonate today to remind us
that the Church, a gathering of brothers around their Lord, is the family of
God in which there can be no division. Faith in Jesus Christ, when it is well
understood and is assumed until its final consequences, generates communities
who are builders of peace and solidarity. It is to this that the Church in El
Salvador, in America and in the entire world is called to today: to be rich in
mercy, to become a leaven of reconciliation for society.
Mons. Romero invites us to wisdom and reflection, to respect for life
and harmony.
It's necessary to renounce “the violence of the sword, of hatred,” and
to live “the violence of love, which left Christ nailed to a cross, which makes
each person overcome their egoism and ensures that no such cruel inequalities
are among us.” He knew how to see and experience in his own flesh “the egoism
that lurks in those who do not want to give up themselves in order to reach
others.” And, with the heart of a father, he cared for “the most poor,” asking
the powerful to convert their “weapons into scythes for work.”
Those who have Mons. Romero as a friend in the faith, who invoke him as
protector and intercessor, who admire his image, finds in him strength and
courage to build the Kingdom of God, and to commit to a more equitable and
dignified social order.
It is a favorable moment for a true and proper national reconciliation
in front of the challenges that currently faced today. The Pope participates
with his hopes, he joins his prayers so that the seed of martyrdom flourishes
and becomes entrenched by the true paths of the sons and daughters of this
nation, which proudly bears the name of the Divine Savior of the world.
Dear brother, I ask you, please, to pray and do pray for me, while at
the same time I impart my apostolic blessing to all those who are united in
different ways in the celebration of the new Blessed.
Fraternally,
Francis
The Vatican, May 23, 2015
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