BEATIFICATION OF ARCHBISHOP ROMERO, MAY 23, 2015
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Saturday, March 23, 2015 was not an
ordinary day in El Salvador. It was on
that day, six months ago, that Archbishop Oscar A. Romero, killed 35 years
earlier at the start of the Salvadoran Civil War, was beatified in a massive
outdoor ceremony in San Salvador. Half a
year later, we look back on seven things that made the Romero
beatification remarkable.
1. It was, as we said at the time, the
largest non-papal beatification ceremony in church history. The largest beatifications in history have
been those where either the beatified subject was a pope or the celebrant
leading the ceremony was a Pope. Apart
from such occasions, the Romero beatification, with half a million in
attendance, was the largest on record.
2. The ascension of Archbishop Romero to
the altars was also the most newsworthy event for the Congregation for the
Causes of Saints for 2015. Even the
canonization of Junipero Serra, a U.S. saint, by Pope Francis, on U.S. soil, took
a backseat in terms of all around coverage, positive coverage, and impact.
3. It was a planetary celebration,
proclaimed the Italian TV2000 broadcasters, and if you think that claim is
hyperbole, consider that Italian TV carried it live, as did Salt + Light TV in
Canada, TeleSur in South America, ESNE in the Americas and Europe, and CNN En
Español, among others.
4. This next distinction is unique, but I believe
it says something. It was the only
beatification ceremony that happened literally on the streets. Most beatifications are held in some enclosed
space, like a church, a stadium, or at least some park or field.
5. It was the first beatification on
Central American soil. Back in 2002,
John Paul canonized Central America’s
first saint in Guatemala, but none had been beatified
in these lands yet.
6. If that last point seems trivial (this
was intended as a trivia list), this next one is very significant for the
people of El Salvador. Romero was the
first Salvadoran “blessed,” but he is expected not to be the last. The local church is talking about proposing
500 others, most of them en masse, all martyrs of the recent Salvadoran Civil
War.
7. There were statements issued the day of
the beatification from both the Pope and the President of the United States (and
the Secretary of State). It’s not
unheard of for the pope to issue a statement in addition to the beatification
decree, but he doesn’t do it for everyone who is beatified. The fact that the most powerful men on earth
had something to say about this beatification reflects something of its unique
and unusual nature.
Full coverage of the beatification HERE.
Full coverage of the beatification HERE.
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