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JUBILEE YEAR for the CENTENNIAL of BLESSED
ROMERO, 2016 — 2017
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| On the day that the Viganò report was published, a Salvadoran parish was having a Romero procession. (Photo courtesy of Cultura Romeriana.) |
#BlessedRomero #Beatification
The American
Catholic press blew up last week with word that the Archbishop of Philadelphia had
called for the cancellation of the upcoming youth synod, which includes the
canonization of Archbishop Oscar Romero and Paul VI, arguing that the bishops lack
credibility to speak to young people given the controversy unleashed by the
accusation of the former nuncio to the U.S. about the abuses of former Cardinal
Theodore McCarrick. It is no exaggeration to say that while some Catholics in
the northern hemisphere are calling for the Pope’s resignation, Archbishop Romero’s
followers are looking forward to the canonization of their martyr on October 14
from a vantage point of widespread support for Francis.
The 3rd
Continental Congress of Latin American and Caribbean Theology met in El
Salvador and issued a letter of support for the Pontiff, and the president of
the Latin American Bishops’ Conference (CELAM) condemned what he denounced as a
shameful personal attack on the Pope. Other expressions of support for Francis have
come from the Primate Archbishop of Mexico, and the bishops of Argentina,
Paraguay, Peru, Spain and Venezuela, among others. [See the Spanish version of this post for links.] In El Salvador, a church
source discreetly asked me to sum up former Nuncio Viganò’s accusations, explaining
apologetically that he has been so excited with Romero news that he has not properly
kept up with other issues.
The controversy
in the wider Church has not diminished the enthusiasm for Romero’s canonization:
the Office of Canonizations of the San Salvador Archdiocese reports that thousands of people
from the diminutive country have registered to make the 6,000 mile trip to Rome
for the event. They will have a preferred location within the ceremony, since
the tickets allotted to them will be nos. 7,001 – 12,000 (practically by the
altar). Romero devotees will come from various Latin American countries such as
Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama, but also European countries
such as Belgium, Denmark, England (a large contingent), Germany, Greece, Italy,
Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Africa will not be left out, with a delegation
coming in from the Congo. It should come as no surprise that the majority of
the Salvadorans with enough resources to make the trip—70%—are older than 50
years of age. The rest, however, are younger.
San Salvador
Archbishop José Luis Escobar Alas announced a send-off Mass on Sunday, October
7, one week before the ceremony. “We
thank everyone for the enthusiasm, joy, and generosity in the preparation of
this great event,” he said in a press release. The archbishop announced
that a vigil on Saturday, October 13 will start with a procession from the Savior
of the World Plaza, where Romero was beatified in 2015, to the Cathedral that
houses his mortal remains. There, at 2 am San Salvador time, the ceremony will be
simulcast from Rome, and the following Sunday a mass of thanksgiving will be
celebrated at the same location, “presided
over by our episcopal conference and we also expect all the bishops of Central
America to be there.”
Of course, loyalty to Francis stems from gratitude to him for advancing Romero’s cause. But in another sense, Romero’s
followers are not scandalized by seeing open ruptures in the Church, because
the history of Romero is one of painful divisions in the episcopate and harsh
criticism of Romero from various sectors. It was Francis himself who acknowledged
that Romero “was defamed, slandered,
soiled ... even by his brothers in the priesthood and in the episcopate.”
For some, it is even natural for Francis to also be criticized, as it marks a
kind of confirmation that his ministry, like that of Romero, is inconvenient to
certain crowds.
“The same thing that happened to Archbishop Romero,”
said Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chavez, a Romero associate who is auxiliary bishop
of San Salvador, comparing the case of Romero with Francis. “Many today ask that Pope Francis resign,”
he noted.
Taking over as
prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Cardinal Angelo Becciu,
summarized the sentiments of Romero's followers. “We love the pope and we love him till the end,” said the prelate. “If we find ourselves united to the Pope, the
Church will be saved. If instead we create divisions—alas—the Church risks
serious consequences.”
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