BEATIFICATION OF ARCHBISHOP ROMERO,
MAY 23, 2015
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A year ago Pope Francis approved the decree recognizing the martyrdom of Archbishop Oscar Romero, a milestone for Salvadoran society, for the identity of Latin American Church, and for the concepts of martyrdom and sainthood in the Universal Church.
[Why Romero matters today]
It was Tuesday
February 3. The previous month, Vatican theologians had unanimously approved
recognizing Romero a martyr and the postulator of the cause, Msgr. Vincenzo
Paglia, had managed to place the Romero file alongside three priests killed by
the Shining Path in Peru to be considered that February 3rd by the commission
of cardinals and bishops of the congregation of saints. It was unusual to
advance a cause from the theologians to the cardinals so fast—it usually takes several
months—but that would not be the only acceleration. After the approval of the
cardinals on Tuesday, it was expected that the decree would go to the Pope on
Thursday, but the Pontiff asked for it asap, and he received it the same day.
The
reverberations were felt primarily in El Salvador, where the declaration that
Romero was killed “in hatred of the faith” was immediately understood as a
strong rebuke against the rightwing forces accused of the murder, especially
Roberto D'Aubuisson , the founder of the ARENA party, accused mastermind of the
crime. He was targeted in comments by Cardinal Angelo Amato in his beatification homily when he said, “If his persecutors have vanished in the shadow of oblivion and death,
the memory of Romero on the other hand continues to live and gives comfort to
the poor and the marginalized of the earth.” The Vatican finding also reflected
upon others, including the recently deceased former President of El Salvador Francisco
Flores, who was one of the staunchest opponents of the beatification, according
to sources close to the process.
The
reverberations were also felt by the Latin Church. As commented by Vaticanista
Luis Badilla, the vindication of Romero implied “great truths that deeply and forever mark the soul of Latin American Catholicism.
These are truths that have resonated in the palaces of power where Msgr. Romero
was not always well received and where he did not always find the comfort and
support that he deserved.” Romero had responded to a call that originated with
the Latin American bishops themselves, which was to care with greater attention
for social justice, but when Romero put himself at risk in that area, he was
left unprotected. “It is well known and
it is historically true that often the Church has mistreated its best sons,”
said Badilla. Romero’s recognition, even if late, has served to do justice by
his figure: “Today the martyr archbishop
of San Salvador has completed his heavenly cycle.”
Finally, Romero
served to remind the whole Church of that radical idea in the gospel that there
truly is no greater love than to give one's life for others. That principle was
at the center of a recent homily by Msgr. Gustavo Rodríguez, Archbishop of
Yucatan, Mexico, about Blessed Romero. Closing a seminar on justice and peace of
the Latin American Episcopal Conference (CELAM), Archbishop Rodriguez said, “With the beatification, Monsignor Romero
should continue in heaven with the mission he had on earth: to care and look
after, through his intercession, for those of us who continue here in this
valley of tears; but now it is not only those in El Salvador, but all those
working for peace and justice throughout the world.” Reflecting on the
theme of the seminar, ‘A Church that goes forth, [and becomes] poor for the
poor’, Msgr. Rodriguez said that Blessed Romero “inspires us in our faith and hope and encourages us to continue
fighting for the poor of this world, because we still have life to give.”
After approval
of the decree, Archbishop Romero was beatified on May 23 of last year in the largest
non papal beatification in history.
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